<p>On a good day, it takes Mohammad less than three hours to drive from Ghazni to Kabul. But preparations for the hair-raising journey through Taliban-infested areas can take weeks.</p>

<p>Road trips are a dangerous, and often deadly, activity in Afghanistan.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Travellers run the gauntlet of Taliban checkpoints, fighting, robberies, kidnappings, and pressure-plate bombs targeting government officials and security forces.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The stretch of Highway 1 between the Afghan capital and the southeastern city of Ghazni -- which the Taliban stormed in August and still threaten -- is one of the most treacherous.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Spontaneous trips are out of the question, said Mohammad, who is in his 20s and a regular visitor to Kabul.</p>

<p>Mohammad, not his real name, asked AFP to use a pseudonym to avoid being identified by the Taliban.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He begins preparing for the journey at least two weeks before his planned departure, starting with growing out his beard, which he normally keeps short, to create a scruffier appearance.</p>

<p>He then starts working his contacts, calling trusted relatives and neighbours who ply the busy route for information about Taliban activity along the main artery connecting Kabul to the insurgent strongholds in the south.</p>

<p>"You have to be careful who you call because you could be sold out to the Taliban" by someone working for the militant group, he told AFP.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>'Many reasons to worry'&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>On the day of his departure, Mohammad swaps his clean, well-ironed clothes for a dirty pyjama-like shalwar kameez to make himself look more like a villager and clears the call history on his mobile in case a phone number raises suspicion.</p>

<p>"You can't just jump into a car and come (to Kabul), not if you want to be on the safe side," he said.</p>

<p>Mohammad's most recent trip to Kabul was delayed for three days after he received warnings of Taliban disguised as Afghan soldiers manning checkpoints along the road.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The first thing Taliban militants check is a person's tazkira, or national identification document.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"If the tazkira is from Ghazni then you may be fine. If not, they might think that you are a member of the security forces from another province coming to Ghazni to fight," Mohammad said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>After registering to vote in the October 20 parliamentary election -- which the Taliban had vowed to attack and which was finally cancelled in Ghazni due to protests -- Mohammad carries a second tazkira that does not have a sticker identifying him as a voter.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"There are many reasons to be worried and anxious," Mohammad explained.</p>

<p>"Even if they don't kill you, they may keep you as a hostage and ask for a ransom. If they kept me for one night, my mother would not survive."&nbsp;</p>

<p>A one-way trip between Kabul and Ghazni costs Mohammad 250 afghanis (around $3) in a Toyota Corolla taxi, a ubiquitous model in Afghanistan that is often used as public transport. He tries to travel with drivers he knows.</p>

<p>He avoids travelling on Mondays and Wednesdays. Those are the days the Afghan army delivers supplies to its troops in the provinces and attacks along the highway are more likely, Mohammad said.</p>

<p>Thursday, the last day of the Afghan working week, is also a bad day to venture out of the city. Militants lie in wait for government employees as they leave Ghazni for the weekend.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Fear of death&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>Whenever possible, Mohammad said he travels with women wearing burqas, but not because he prefers their company.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the deeply conservative society where physical contact between men and women in public is prohibited, female passengers can hide mobile phones and other sensitive items under their head-to-toe coverings without fear of the Taliban searching them.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Once on the open road, Mohammad remains vigilant.</p>

<p>He listens carefully to the phone conversations of the driver and other occupants for signs they are planning to give him, or someone else in the vehicle, up to the Taliban.</p>

<p>"Taliban spies use codes like 'I have brought the rooster that you asked for' or 'we found the yoghurt that you asked for'," he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>An oncoming vehicle with lights blinking, a line of cars stopped on the highway, or no traffic at all are warning signs that something has happened up ahead. &nbsp;</p>

<p>"Fighting and ambushes are common. You have to accept that you might face it," Mohammad said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Despite the risks, Kabul's alluring cafes and shopping malls make the nail-biting trip worthwhile, Mohammad said.</p>

<p>Even a few days in the heavily militarised and overcrowded city is "refreshing" and a relief from Ghazni, where he feels his "heart can burst from boredom".</p>

<p>But Mohammad does what he can to stay safe on his journey, even paying a few cents to a street beggar as he leaves the city in the hope the good deed will protect him.</p>

<p>"I still fear death," he said. "But I try to stay calm."</p>


On a good day, it takes Mohammad less than three hours to drive from Ghazni to Kabul. But preparations for the hair-raising journey through Taliban-infested areas can take weeks.

On a good day, it takes Mohammad less than three hours to drive from Ghazni to Kabul. But preparations for the hair-raising journey through Taliban-infested areas can take weeks. Road trips are a dangerous, and often deadly, activity in Afghanistan. Travellers run the gauntlet of Taliban checkpoints, fighting, robberies, kidnappings, and pressure-plate bombs targeting government officials and security forces. The stretch of Highway 1 between the Afghan capital and the southeastern city of Ghazni -- which the Taliban stormed in August and still threaten -- is one of the most treacherous. Spontaneous trips are out of the question, said Mohammad, who is in his 20s and a regular visitor to Kabul. Mohammad, not his real name, asked AFP to use a pseudonym to avoid being identified by the Taliban. He begins preparing for the journey at least two weeks before his planned departure, starting with growing out his beard, which he normally keeps short, to create a scruffier appearance. He then starts working his contacts, calling trusted relatives and neighbours who ply the busy route for information about Taliban activity along the main artery connecting Kabul to the insurgent strongholds in the south. "You have to be careful who you call because you could be sold out to the Taliban" by someone working for the militant group, he told AFP. 'Many reasons to worry' On the day of his departure, Mohammad swaps his clean, well-ironed clothes for a dirty pyjama-like shalwar kameez to make himself look more like a villager and clears the call history on his mobile in case a phone number raises suspicion. "You can't just jump into a car and come (to Kabul), not if you want to be on the safe side," he said. Mohammad's most recent trip to Kabul was delayed for three days after he received warnings of Taliban disguised as Afghan soldiers manning checkpoints along the road. The first thing Taliban militants check is a person's tazkira, or national identification document. "If the tazkira is from Ghazni then you may be fine. If not, they might think that you are a member of the security forces from another province coming to Ghazni to fight," Mohammad said. After registering to vote in the October 20 parliamentary election -- which the Taliban had vowed to attack and which was finally cancelled in Ghazni due to protests -- Mohammad carries a second tazkira that does not have a sticker identifying him as a voter. "There are many reasons to be worried and anxious," Mohammad explained. "Even if they don't kill you, they may keep you as a hostage and ask for a ransom. If they kept me for one night, my mother would not survive." A one-way trip between Kabul and Ghazni costs Mohammad 250 afghanis (around $3) in a Toyota Corolla taxi, a ubiquitous model in Afghanistan that is often used as public transport. He tries to travel with drivers he knows. He avoids travelling on Mondays and Wednesdays. Those are the days the Afghan army delivers supplies to its troops in the provinces and attacks along the highway are more likely, Mohammad said. Thursday, the last day of the Afghan working week, is also a bad day to venture out of the city. Militants lie in wait for government employees as they leave Ghazni for the weekend. Fear of death Whenever possible, Mohammad said he travels with women wearing burqas, but not because he prefers their company. In the deeply conservative society where physical contact between men and women in public is prohibited, female passengers can hide mobile phones and other sensitive items under their head-to-toe coverings without fear of the Taliban searching them. Once on the open road, Mohammad remains vigilant. He listens carefully to the phone conversations of the driver and other occupants for signs they are planning to give him, or someone else in the vehicle, up to the Taliban. "Taliban spies use codes like 'I have brought the rooster that you asked for' or 'we found the yoghurt that you asked for'," he said. An oncoming vehicle with lights blinking, a line of cars stopped on the highway, or no traffic at all are warning signs that something has happened up ahead. "Fighting and ambushes are common. You have to accept that you might face it," Mohammad said. Despite the risks, Kabul's alluring cafes and shopping malls make the nail-biting trip worthwhile, Mohammad said. Even a few days in the heavily militarised and overcrowded city is "refreshing" and a relief from Ghazni, where he feels his "heart can burst from boredom". But Mohammad does what he can to stay safe on his journey, even paying a few cents to a street beggar as he leaves the city in the hope the good deed will protect him. "I still fear death," he said. "But I try to stay calm."

Highway to hell: Afghan travellers run gauntlet of Taliban violence

<p>Just like air travel, now beware of carrying excess luggage while travelling in trains as well.</p>

<p>As a result of numerous complaints regarding excess baggage being towed into train compartments, the Indian Railways has decided to strictly enforce its over-three-decades-old baggage allowance rules, which will see passengers paying up to six times the stipulated amount as penalty, if caught travelling with overweight luggage, an official said today.</p>

<p>According to the prescribed norms, a sleeper class and a second class passenger can carry luggage weighing 40 kg and 35 kg respectively without paying any extra money and a maximum of 80 kg and 70 kg respectively by paying for the excess luggage at the parcel office. The excess luggage would have to be put in the luggage van.</p>

<p>"The rules were already in place, we are just enforcing them strictly now. Passengers are allowed to book and carry excess luggage in the luggage van, up to the maximum limit, on the payment of a fee equivalent to one-and-a-half times the luggage rate.</p>

<p>"If a passenger is found travelling with un-booked luggage weighing more than the free allowance, the excess weight will be charged six times the luggage rate. The move is to ensure passenger convenience and address the issue of cramped compartments," Ved Prakash, Director, Information and Publicity, Railway Board, said.</p>

<p>Officials said unlike at the airports, where the luggage of each passenger is weighed, the railways will carry out random checks among the passengers.</p>

<p>For example, if a passenger is travelling 500 km with luggage weighing 80 kg in the sleeper class, he can book his excess baggage of 40 kg for Rs 109 in the luggage van.</p>

<p>However, if he fails to do so and is caught with the excess luggage, he will end up paying a penalty of Rs 654.</p>

<p>Similarly, an AC first class passenger can carry 70 kg of luggage for free and a maximum of 150 kg, after paying a fee for the excess 80 kg.&nbsp</p>

<p>An AC two-tier passenger can carry 50 kg of luggage for free and a maximum of 100 kg by paying a fee for the excess 50 kg.</p>

<p>The railways will also ensure that trunks, suitcases and boxes adhere to the prescribed measurements of 100cm x 60cm x 25cm (length, breadth, height) for personal luggage to be carried in the compartments.</p>

<p>If the trunks, suitcases and boxes exceed any one of the dimensions, those would have to be booked and carried in the luggage van, Prakash said.</p>

<p>The national transporter has launched a special drive (June 1-6) across all its zones to enforce the rules.</p>


The Railways said people caught travelling with excess baggage will be made to pay six times what is normally charged

Just like air travel, now beware of carrying excess luggage while travelling in trains as well. As a result of numerous complaints regarding excess baggage being towed into train compartments, the Indian Railways has decided to strictly enforce its over-three-decades-old baggage allowance rules, which will see passengers paying up to six times the stipulated amount as penalty, if caught travelling with overweight luggage, an official said today. According to the prescribed norms, a sleeper class and a second class passenger can carry luggage weighing 40 kg and 35 kg respectively without paying any extra money and a maximum of 80 kg and 70 kg respectively by paying for the excess luggage at the parcel office. The excess luggage would have to be put in the luggage van. "The rules were already in place, we are just enforcing them strictly now. Passengers are allowed to book and carry excess luggage in the luggage van, up to the maximum limit, on the payment of a fee equivalent to one-and-a-half times the luggage rate. "If a passenger is found travelling with un-booked luggage weighing more than the free allowance, the excess weight will be charged six times the luggage rate. The move is to ensure passenger convenience and address the issue of cramped compartments," Ved Prakash, Director, Information and Publicity, Railway Board, said. Officials said unlike at the airports, where the luggage of each passenger is weighed, the railways will carry out random checks among the passengers. For example, if a passenger is travelling 500 km with luggage weighing 80 kg in the sleeper class, he can book his excess baggage of 40 kg for Rs 109 in the luggage van. However, if he fails to do so and is caught with the excess luggage, he will end up paying a penalty of Rs 654. Similarly, an AC first class passenger can carry 70 kg of luggage for free and a maximum of 150 kg, after paying a fee for the excess 80 kg. An AC two-tier passenger can carry 50 kg of luggage for free and a maximum of 100 kg by paying a fee for the excess 50 kg. The railways will also ensure that trunks, suitcases and boxes adhere to the prescribed measurements of 100cm x 60cm x 25cm (length, breadth, height) for personal luggage to be carried in the compartments. If the trunks, suitcases and boxes exceed any one of the dimensions, those would have to be booked and carried in the luggage van, Prakash said. The national transporter has launched a special drive (June 1-6) across all its zones to enforce the rules.

Now, massive fines for excess baggage on trains

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday addressed the Indian community in Indonesia capital Jakarta. He announced that arrangements were being made for free of cost visa to Indonesian citizens for travel of up to 30 days.</p>

<p>Modi began his Indonesia visit today by paying homage to martyrs of Indonesian independence struggle as he laid a wreath at the Kalibata National Heroes' Cemetery in Jakarta. Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery in South Jakarta is a military cemetery in Indonesia. It was built in 1953 and opened in November 1954 when the first burial took place.&nbsp</p>

<p>Addressing a gathering of Indian diaspora at the Jakarta Convention Centre in the Indonesian capital, Modi said, "not only do the names of our nations rhyme but also there is a distinct rhythm in the India-Indonesia friendship."</p>

<p>"We will grant free of cost visa for Indonesian citizens for travel of up to 30 days," Modi said, amid applause.</p>

<p>"Many of you may never have been to India. I invite you all to come to India for the Kumbh in Prayag next year," Modi told the gathering.</p>

<p><strong>Here are the top quotes from PM Modi's address to the Indian community&nbsp</strong></p>

<p>1: We are making arrangements of free of cost visa for Indonesian citizens for travel of up to 30 days</p>

<p>2: Many of you may never have been to India. I invite you all to come to India for the Kumbh in Prayag next year</p>

<p>3: Not only do the names of our nations rhyme but also there is a distinct rhythm in the India-Indonesia friendship.</p>

<p>4: Both India and Indonesia have a sensitive outlook when it comes to helping those in need. We do not see the colour of anyone’s passport, we help our fellow humans who require any assistance.</p>

<p>5: We have gone a step ahead of ‘Ease of Doing Business.’ Our focus is ‘Ease of Living.’ Our processes are transparent and sensitive.</p>

<p>6: We in India are creating systems that are corruption free and development friendly.</p>

<p>7: Vibrant people to people relations boost bilateral ties between India and Indonesia.</p>

<p>8: Our first priority as a government is to make the country corruption free, citizen-centric and development-friendly</p>

<p>9: Both India & Indonesia are proud of their democratic ethos and their diversity. In 2014 people of India voted for a Government headed by a person belonging to a poor background. Similarly, the people of Indonesia elected President Joko Widodo whose background is also humble</p>

<p>10: You are equally committed to your roots in India as you are to Indonesia, many of you are Indonesians but India is there in your hearts</p>


PM Modi today announced a 30-day free visa for Indonesian citizens and invited the diaspora to travel to their country of origin to experience the 'New India'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday addressed the Indian community in Indonesia capital Jakarta. He announced that arrangements were being made for free of cost visa to Indonesian citizens for travel of up to 30 days. Modi began his Indonesia visit today by paying homage to martyrs of Indonesian independence struggle as he laid a wreath at the Kalibata National Heroes' Cemetery in Jakarta. Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery in South Jakarta is a military cemetery in Indonesia. It was built in 1953 and opened in November 1954 when the first burial took place. Addressing a gathering of Indian diaspora at the Jakarta Convention Centre in the Indonesian capital, Modi said, "not only do the names of our nations rhyme but also there is a distinct rhythm in the India-Indonesia friendship." "We will grant free of cost visa for Indonesian citizens for travel of up to 30 days," Modi said, amid applause. "Many of you may never have been to India. I invite you all to come to India for the Kumbh in Prayag next year," Modi told the gathering. Here are the top quotes from PM Modi's address to the Indian community 1: We are making arrangements of free of cost visa for Indonesian citizens for travel of up to 30 days 2: Many of you may never have been to India. I invite you all to come to India for the Kumbh in Prayag next year 3: Not only do the names of our nations rhyme but also there is a distinct rhythm in the India-Indonesia friendship. 4: Both India and Indonesia have a sensitive outlook when it comes to helping those in need. We do not see the colour of anyone’s passport, we help our fellow humans who require any assistance. 5: We have gone a step ahead of ‘Ease of Doing Business.’ Our focus is ‘Ease of Living.’ Our processes are transparent and sensitive. 6: We in India are creating systems that are corruption free and development friendly. 7: Vibrant people to people relations boost bilateral ties between India and Indonesia. 8: Our first priority as a government is to make the country corruption free, citizen-centric and development-friendly 9: Both India & Indonesia are proud of their democratic ethos and their diversity. In 2014 people of India voted for a Government headed by a person belonging to a poor background. Similarly, the people of Indonesia elected President Joko Widodo whose background is also humble 10: You are equally committed to your roots in India as you are to Indonesia, many of you are Indonesians but India is there in your hearts

PM Modi announces 30-day free visa for Indonesian citizens

<p>The US Embassy in New Delhi has recommended travelers across India to apply early for US&nbsp;visas due to heavy demand. The embassy said that applicants should be aware that the summer is a peak travel season and there will be delays in getting visa appointments.</p>

<p>"Travelers should apply early to avoid potential delays," the embassy said in a release, adding that "the US Embassy and its four Consulates are constantly working to improve service and meet demand".</p>

<p>The release also warned applicants to beware of scams and fraud. The only way to get a US visa is through official channels.</p>

<p>&nbsp;“Someone can either apply and have an interview at a US Embassy or consulate, or if they have had a visa before and meet certain criteria, they may qualify to have their visa renewed. Anyone claiming they can guarantee a visa in exchange for a fee is attempting to defraud you. Applicants should be smart and apply the right way,” the release said.</p>

<p>It said that presently the applicants across India may have to wait for 30 days or more for a visa interview appointment. It said that presently the applicants across India may have to wait for 30 days or more for a visa interview appointment.</p>

<p>Mission India’s nonimmigrant visa workload is one of the largest in the world, processing over a million visas a year. In the last five years, the demand for visas to travel to the United States has increased by over 60%,” the US embassy said in astatement.</p>

<p>It said that Consular sections in Mission India are currently only able to expedite visa appointments for cases involving genuine emergencies.&nbsp;</p>


The release also warned applicants to beware of scams and fraud. The only way to get a US visa is through official channels

The US Embassy in New Delhi has recommended travelers across India to apply early for US visas due to heavy demand. The embassy said that applicants should be aware that the summer is a peak travel season and there will be delays in getting visa appointments. "Travelers should apply early to avoid potential delays," the embassy said in a release, adding that "the US Embassy and its four Consulates are constantly working to improve service and meet demand". The release also warned applicants to beware of scams and fraud. The only way to get a US visa is through official channels. “Someone can either apply and have an interview at a US Embassy or consulate, or if they have had a visa before and meet certain criteria, they may qualify to have their visa renewed. Anyone claiming they can guarantee a visa in exchange for a fee is attempting to defraud you. Applicants should be smart and apply the right way,” the release said. It said that presently the applicants across India may have to wait for 30 days or more for a visa interview appointment. It said that presently the applicants across India may have to wait for 30 days or more for a visa interview appointment. Mission India’s nonimmigrant visa workload is one of the largest in the world, processing over a million visas a year. In the last five years, the demand for visas to travel to the United States has increased by over 60%,” the US embassy said in astatement. It said that Consular sections in Mission India are currently only able to expedite visa appointments for cases involving genuine emergencies.

Apply for visa early due to heavy demand: US embassy

<p>Consulate General of India, Bali issued a travel advisory for Indians following continuing tremors and high volcanic activity detected inside the volcano on Mount Agung.</p>

<p>The statement mentions that the Indonesian authorities have kept the Mount Agung on the highest level, as volcanic activities continue at a high pace inside the volcano.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It has also been informed that the nature and extent of hazard zone may change at any given time and that Indian nationals in Bali are directed to be alert and updated with the developments through their hotels, airlines and tour operators as well as avoid the hazard zone at all cost.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The officials also suggested that people having plans to travel to Bali must postpone them and if they need to travel at any cost, must consider taking travel insurance for an unforeseen situation such as flight cancellations or diversions.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also&nbsp;read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/flights-resume-as-balis-volcano-hit-airport-reopens-25486">Flights resume as Bali&#39;s volcano-hit airport reopens</a></p>

<p>Finally, the statement mentions that the travellers must carry sufficient funds to meet any exigencies that may come up.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also watch: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/timelapses-show-smoke-billowing-from-bali-volcano-6980">Timelapses show smoke billowing from Bali volcano</a></p>

<p>Experts said Agung&#39;s recent activity matches the build-up to the earlier disaster, which ejected enough debris - about a billion tonnes - to lower global average temperatures by around 0.3 degrees Celsius for roughly a year.</p>

<p>While the volcano appeared to be belching less ash and smoke on Thursday, experts urged caution and have warned a major eruption could happen at any moment. It has already experienced a series of mini eruptions.</p>


The statement mentions that the Indonesian authorities have kept the Mount Agung on the highest level, as volcanic activities continue at a high pace inside the volcano

Consulate General of India, Bali issued a travel advisory for Indians following continuing tremors and high volcanic activity detected inside the volcano on Mount Agung. The statement mentions that the Indonesian authorities have kept the Mount Agung on the highest level, as volcanic activities continue at a high pace inside the volcano. It has also been informed that the nature and extent of hazard zone may change at any given time and that Indian nationals in Bali are directed to be alert and updated with the developments through their hotels, airlines and tour operators as well as avoid the hazard zone at all cost. The officials also suggested that people having plans to travel to Bali must postpone them and if they need to travel at any cost, must consider taking travel insurance for an unforeseen situation such as flight cancellations or diversions. Also read: Flights resume as Bali's volcano-hit airport reopens Finally, the statement mentions that the travellers must carry sufficient funds to meet any exigencies that may come up. Also watch: Timelapses show smoke billowing from Bali volcano Experts said Agung's recent activity matches the build-up to the earlier disaster, which ejected enough debris - about a billion tonnes - to lower global average temperatures by around 0.3 degrees Celsius for roughly a year. While the volcano appeared to be belching less ash and smoke on Thursday, experts urged caution and have warned a major eruption could happen at any moment. It has already experienced a series of mini eruptions.

Travel advisory issued for Indians following Bali volcanic activity

<p>&quot;If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I&#39;ll bet they&#39;d live a lot differently,&quot; said Calvin to his best friend Hobbes in one those many imaginary conversations he had with his stuffed toy. But isn&#39;t that true?</p>

<p>We have lived in the national capital -&nbsp;Delhi - for years now? And how many a times have we seen the stars on a regular basis? How many a times did we strike a conversation with them? How many times did we sit in the favourite part of our terrace or on a random bench in a park or just take a walk in any random road and look at those beautiful shinning creatures?</p>

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<h5>In a city like Mumbai, the people probably have the sea where they can go sit, relax, process their thoughts and walk away relaxed.</h5>
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<p>The majority of us have been living in the&nbsp;9 am to 5 pm&nbsp;kind of jobs. Us journalists we never know when our day starts and when it ends. All the anger, the frustration, the pressure comes out in a way that we do not like. In a city like Mumbai, the people probably have the sea where they can go sit, relax, process their thoughts and walk away relaxed.</p>

<p>But we in Delhi have nothing to call our own. The parks, the monuments, the ivory houses, the VVIP traffics, each household boasting of three to four cars each, does not help us get peace. Please do not get me wrong they pretty much make Delhi what it is, as a city. But think again can we call them our own?</p>

<p>Add to it, the air pollution woes in the city have reached hazardous levels, to say the least. Does it not give you chills to not see stars in the sky in the night? Or enjoy the sun coming out early in the morning? Do you not miss the skyline when the sun leaves us with its beautiful shades? Guessing, we have all but forgotten what it feels like to breathe in fresh air in the city.</p>

<p>Now, how is this for a change!</p>

<p>When was the last time you packed your rug-sack and just left? When was the last time you took a bus ride to the hills, alone? When was the last time you walked out on the streets and got fresh air to breath? When was the last time you stood on your balcony and saw the stars?</p>

<p>For me, it was as latest as last week! After earning a week&#39;s off from my hectic work culture, I packed my rucksack and set out all by myself. The destination, I had no clue about. I told myself, I will head to the Kashmere Gate ISBT and sit on the first bus that leaves the terminal. And as fate would have it. The first bus that left the terminal was to Jammu. I hopped on the bus and left for Jammu.</p>

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<h5>As the bus rolled away from the city limits, passing the Sonipat, the Panipat and&nbsp;Ambala, the skies got clearer, the air cleaner and the temperature started to drop.</h5>
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<p>This was my first-ever journey to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. I quickly called up my friend in Srinagar, informing her that I am finally coming to her state. Shabnam Khan - my batchmate from college -&nbsp;has been behind my life to visit her for five years. So the excitement in her voice was evident.</p>

<p>As the bus rolled away from the city limits, passing Sonipat, Panipat and&nbsp;Ambala, the skies got clearer, the air cleaner and the temperature started to drop. The bus did stop at some small dhabba along the way but I happily crossed the road for a foot-long sub. Not cause I am not a fan of dhabba food but cause I wanted to keep my belly healthy for the trip. And surprisingly the subway station served some really hot coffee too that held.</p>

<p>As the bus began its journey after a pit-stop we were back on the road again. It was now time to close our window panes and the winds grew colder. Sadly for me, I had to glance out the window through the pane! But music in my ears winds around me food in my belly and coffee in my hands, I would say I was up for the remainder of the sojourn.</p>

<p>The bus came to halt at a place called Lakhanpur, a village that connects the rest of India with Jammu via road. As I got off the bus I could see smoke come out of my mouth due to the cold conditions. I looked at the coffee bottle in a makeshift shop along the highway and said, &quot;Why not!&quot; With music in my ears, winds around me and coffee in my hands, we began our journey to Jammu.</p>

<p>We reached Jammu close to&nbsp;2:30&nbsp;in the night. The moment I got off the bus, the cold hit me - it was close to 10-degree Celsius - and there were private cab drivers looking for passengers to ferry from Jammu to Srinagar. It was quite surprising to see the night-long bus and cab services from Jammu to Srinagar. Fortunately for me, I found one and thus began my journey to Srinagar by&nbsp;3 am.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity)</em></p>


When pollution makes it impossible to breathe, pack your rug-sack and just leave for the hills.

"If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I'll bet they'd live a lot differently," said Calvin to his best friend Hobbes in one those many imaginary conversations he had with his stuffed toy. But isn't that true? We have lived in the national capital - Delhi - for years now? And how many a times have we seen the stars on a regular basis? How many a times did we strike a conversation with them? How many times did we sit in the favourite part of our terrace or on a random bench in a park or just take a walk in any random road and look at those beautiful shinning creatures? In a city like Mumbai, the people probably have the sea where they can go sit, relax, process their thoughts and walk away relaxed. × The majority of us have been living in the 9 am to 5 pm kind of jobs. Us journalists we never know when our day starts and when it ends. All the anger, the frustration, the pressure comes out in a way that we do not like. In a city like Mumbai, the people probably have the sea where they can go sit, relax, process their thoughts and walk away relaxed. But we in Delhi have nothing to call our own. The parks, the monuments, the ivory houses, the VVIP traffics, each household boasting of three to four cars each, does not help us get peace. Please do not get me wrong they pretty much make Delhi what it is, as a city. But think again can we call them our own? Add to it, the air pollution woes in the city have reached hazardous levels, to say the least. Does it not give you chills to not see stars in the sky in the night? Or enjoy the sun coming out early in the morning? Do you not miss the skyline when the sun leaves us with its beautiful shades? Guessing, we have all but forgotten what it feels like to breathe in fresh air in the city. Now, how is this for a change! When was the last time you packed your rug-sack and just left? When was the last time you took a bus ride to the hills, alone? When was the last time you walked out on the streets and got fresh air to breath? When was the last time you stood on your balcony and saw the stars? For me, it was as latest as last week! After earning a week's off from my hectic work culture, I packed my rucksack and set out all by myself. The destination, I had no clue about. I told myself, I will head to the Kashmere Gate ISBT and sit on the first bus that leaves the terminal. And as fate would have it. The first bus that left the terminal was to Jammu. I hopped on the bus and left for Jammu. As the bus rolled away from the city limits, passing the Sonipat, the Panipat and Ambala, the skies got clearer, the air cleaner and the temperature started to drop. × This was my first-ever journey to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. I quickly called up my friend in Srinagar, informing her that I am finally coming to her state. Shabnam Khan - my batchmate from college - has been behind my life to visit her for five years. So the excitement in her voice was evident. As the bus rolled away from the city limits, passing Sonipat, Panipat and Ambala, the skies got clearer, the air cleaner and the temperature started to drop. The bus did stop at some small dhabba along the way but I happily crossed the road for a foot-long sub. Not cause I am not a fan of dhabba food but cause I wanted to keep my belly healthy for the trip. And surprisingly the subway station served some really hot coffee too that held. As the bus began its journey after a pit-stop we were back on the road again. It was now time to close our window panes and the winds grew colder. Sadly for me, I had to glance out the window through the pane! But music in my ears winds around me food in my belly and coffee in my hands, I would say I was up for the remainder of the sojourn. The bus came to halt at a place called Lakhanpur, a village that connects the rest of India with Jammu via road. As I got off the bus I could see smoke come out of my mouth due to the cold conditions. I looked at the coffee bottle in a makeshift shop along the highway and said, "Why not!" With music in my ears, winds around me and coffee in my hands, we began our journey to Jammu. We reached Jammu close to 2:30 in the night. The moment I got off the bus, the cold hit me - it was close to 10-degree Celsius - and there were private cab drivers looking for passengers to ferry from Jammu to Srinagar. It was quite surprising to see the night-long bus and cab services from Jammu to Srinagar. Fortunately for me, I found one and thus began my journey to Srinagar by 3 am. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity)

Opinion: Delhi chokes, let's turn to hills

<p>I lived in Bastar, Chhattisgarh for six months between August 2014 and February 2015. While I was there, I met a girl whom I soon grew fond of. She left before me, returning home to Bengaluru. Sometime later she travelled to Delhi to visit her grandparents and I wrote her a letter, wanting to introduce her to my city. It was only the next morning, by when the letter had been finished and sent, that I realised I had written not one but two love letters. One of course to her and the other to Delhi. I reproduce the letter here.</p>

<p>Ms X,</p>

<p>If you have managed to get into my town, I hope you are not staring into your computer but getting &ldquo;out there&rdquo;. Should you be having trouble comprehending how to get out there in what might be a strange and unfamiliar city, may I please offer a few suggestions? Needless to say, they will be better than anything that you might find in a travel guidebook.</p>

<p>1. Have dinner at Karim&rsquo;s in Old Delhi. Karim&#39;s is right next to the Jama Masjid, which gives it atmosphere. Plus the food at this Karim&rsquo;s &ndash; it&#39;s the original &ndash; is better than at any of the branches that came after it. I don&rsquo;t really know why but I have been meaning to find out. Please note: Their tomato shorba is to die for, especially on a cold winter evening.</p>

<p>2. Visit the Nehru Memorial, Museum and Library. Peacocks roam the lawns and you get to see photographs of a young Jawaharlal with his severe-looking father. I am an admirer of Nehru&#39;s and I wish people would not be so quick to censure him but I guess that in this country you can be authoritarian (like his daughter Indira) and people will still love you so long as you win a war (she won &rsquo;71). Nehru, of course, lost &rsquo;62, which is about the only thing people remember about him.</p>

<p>Have lunch here. Lunch is simple, vegetarian, and you sometimes have to queue for up to 30 minutes to get it but this is one of the few places in Delhi where time has stood still. And just for a minute, you get the feeling that you&rsquo;re still in socialist India when our democracy actually stood for something.</p>

<p>3. Have lunch at Andhra Bhawan. They serve a staple vegetarian thali and you can order meat (fish, chicken, or goat) with it. Please note: Their (vegetarian) refills are endless, so you cannot expect to do much work after having eaten here.</p>

<p>4. Have tea at the cafe at Triveni Kala Sangam. Their carrot cake and brownies with cream are nice. So are their gulab jamuns. Their omelettes are wonderful.</p>

<p>Please note: They shut early, by about six.</p>

<p>They pushed up their prices recently; till some time ago you couldn&#39;t run up a cheque for more than Rs 250 but at least they haven&rsquo;t tried to modernise in other ways. The curio shop within the compound sells interesting knick-knacks. And since they&rsquo;re an art and sculpture gallery, should you look around, you also get to feel cultured.</p>

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<h5>Hauz Khas village saved Delhi&rsquo;s soul. If it hadn&rsquo;t been for it, we would have been reduced to a city of McDonald&rsquo;s and TGI Fridays.</h5>
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<p>5. Have a drink and dinner at The Living Room (TLR) or Yeti, the Himalayan kitchen, at Hauz Khas village.</p>

<p>Hauz Khas village saved Delhi&rsquo;s soul. If it hadn&rsquo;t been for it, we would have been reduced to a city of McDonald&rsquo;s and TGI Fridays.</p>

<p>If that had happened, I would never leave Jagdalpur.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, HKV too has been corrupted &ndash; yes it has, it took me a while to realise it but it has &ndash; by rising rents and the commercialisation that comes with it. (We need rent control laws. The character is as important as commerce.)&nbsp;</p>

<p>The place to actually have a meal here was Gunpowder, the coastal kitchen, but the proprietor Mr Warrier (a former, very unhappy-looking journalist) unfortunately decided to move to Goa. We hope and pray that he will return, but I do not think he will.)</p>

<p>6. Go to Chapter 25 in Shahpur Jat for an evening drink. The bar is so called because it was opened by three 25-year-olds. Women like it because the bartender is very good-looking, plus the bar is nice and they have some interesting EDM nights. I like the bartender because he pours large drinks. Or you could go to the nearby Potbelly, the Bihari kitchen, but they&rsquo;re better for lunch.</p>

<p>7. On a Wednesday or&nbsp;Saturday&nbsp;evening, go for dinner to Le Bistro du Parc in Defence Colony. This is not in Defence Colony market but right under the Moolchand flyover, just opposite Flavor&rsquo;s, the Italian kitchen.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Le Bistro is run by the very pretty Naina (she&rsquo;s half French, half Punjabi, and now that I think of it, has a nose that&rsquo;s a bit like yours. It is a very nice nose).&nbsp;</p>

<p>Le Bistro is obviously French and has a very good wine list. The French nationals who come here are all as slim as you, the Indians are all as fat as me, which says something about our cuisines.</p>

<p>Or of course, you could just try good old Flavor&rsquo;s opposite. It&rsquo;s run by an Italian who&rsquo;s been around forever. His tiramisu and coffee are delectable and we like him because he was really the first man to teach us that Italian food did not mean Amul cheese dribbled over everything.</p>

<p>Should you decide that the food at Le Bistro does not contain enough oil and masala for your Indian palate, you could always try the mutton keema kathi roll (I think I might faint) at the Nizam&rsquo;s right behind Flavor&rsquo;s.</p>

<p>Please note: I hear that Le Bistro has the writer Rana Dasgupta &ndash; he wears his pants up to his chest &ndash; play the piano on Wednesday evenings.</p>

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<h5>In the winter, do a&nbsp;Sunday&nbsp;picnic lunch at Lodhi Gardens. Pack lunch and a bottle of wine. Get there once the sun is out properly.</h5>
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<p>8. My little favourites. Drive to India Gate late in the evening. Park on the central radial, the road leading up to North and South Blocks. From vendors here, you can buy coffee, kulfi and chuski. Nearby there is cona coffee served in beakers at United Coffee Home in Connaught Place (I really haven&#39;t heard anybody call it Rajiv Chowk as yet). Their tajines are exotic enough too but I don&rsquo;t recommend the food here. CP is a little decrepit nowadays, and UCH&rsquo;s hygiene seems a bit off.</p>

<p>9. In the winter, do a&nbsp;Sunday&nbsp;picnic lunch at Lodhi Gardens. Pack lunch and a bottle of wine. (You&rsquo;re not allowed to carry alcohol in so the bottle of wine will have to be hidden in a knapsack.) Get there once the sun is out properly. Don&rsquo;t worry about when to leave, you won&rsquo;t want to.</p>

<p>10. Finally, go watch a play at the National School of Drama, or Kamani auditorium, or the Little Theatre Group; they&rsquo;re all next to each other near CP, close to Triveni. The NSD festival is held sometime in January, so you&rsquo;ll miss that but if you&rsquo;re lucky there might be an opera playing in town. The coffee at NSD during the interval is especially good. Plus it gives you the time to ponder why sometimes even going to a mediocre play can be enjoyable.&nbsp;</p>

<p>And remember of course, as we say in Delhi, to &ldquo;enjoy!&rdquo; (I still haven&rsquo;t figured out exactly what that means.)</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).</em></p>


Hauz Khas village saved Delhi?s soul. If it hadn?t been for it, we would have been reduced to a city of McDonald?s and TGI Fridays.

I lived in Bastar, Chhattisgarh for six months between August 2014 and February 2015. While I was there, I met a girl whom I soon grew fond of. She left before me, returning home to Bengaluru. Sometime later she travelled to Delhi to visit her grandparents and I wrote her a letter, wanting to introduce her to my city. It was only the next morning, by when the letter had been finished and sent, that I realised I had written not one but two love letters. One of course to her and the other to Delhi. I reproduce the letter here. Ms X, If you have managed to get into my town, I hope you are not staring into your computer but getting “out there”. Should you be having trouble comprehending how to get out there in what might be a strange and unfamiliar city, may I please offer a few suggestions? Needless to say, they will be better than anything that you might find in a travel guidebook. 1. Have dinner at Karim’s in Old Delhi. Karim's is right next to the Jama Masjid, which gives it atmosphere. Plus the food at this Karim’s – it's the original – is better than at any of the branches that came after it. I don’t really know why but I have been meaning to find out. Please note: Their tomato shorba is to die for, especially on a cold winter evening. 2. Visit the Nehru Memorial, Museum and Library. Peacocks roam the lawns and you get to see photographs of a young Jawaharlal with his severe-looking father. I am an admirer of Nehru's and I wish people would not be so quick to censure him but I guess that in this country you can be authoritarian (like his daughter Indira) and people will still love you so long as you win a war (she won ’71). Nehru, of course, lost ’62, which is about the only thing people remember about him. Have lunch here. Lunch is simple, vegetarian, and you sometimes have to queue for up to 30 minutes to get it but this is one of the few places in Delhi where time has stood still. And just for a minute, you get the feeling that you’re still in socialist India when our democracy actually stood for something. 3. Have lunch at Andhra Bhawan. They serve a staple vegetarian thali and you can order meat (fish, chicken, or goat) with it. Please note: Their (vegetarian) refills are endless, so you cannot expect to do much work after having eaten here. 4. Have tea at the cafe at Triveni Kala Sangam. Their carrot cake and brownies with cream are nice. So are their gulab jamuns. Their omelettes are wonderful. Please note: They shut early, by about six. They pushed up their prices recently; till some time ago you couldn't run up a cheque for more than Rs 250 but at least they haven’t tried to modernise in other ways. The curio shop within the compound sells interesting knick-knacks. And since they’re an art and sculpture gallery, should you look around, you also get to feel cultured. Hauz Khas village saved Delhi’s soul. If it hadn’t been for it, we would have been reduced to a city of McDonald’s and TGI Fridays. × 5. Have a drink and dinner at The Living Room (TLR) or Yeti, the Himalayan kitchen, at Hauz Khas village. Hauz Khas village saved Delhi’s soul. If it hadn’t been for it, we would have been reduced to a city of McDonald’s and TGI Fridays. If that had happened, I would never leave Jagdalpur. Unfortunately, HKV too has been corrupted – yes it has, it took me a while to realise it but it has – by rising rents and the commercialisation that comes with it. (We need rent control laws. The character is as important as commerce.) The place to actually have a meal here was Gunpowder, the coastal kitchen, but the proprietor Mr Warrier (a former, very unhappy-looking journalist) unfortunately decided to move to Goa. We hope and pray that he will return, but I do not think he will.) 6. Go to Chapter 25 in Shahpur Jat for an evening drink. The bar is so called because it was opened by three 25-year-olds. Women like it because the bartender is very good-looking, plus the bar is nice and they have some interesting EDM nights. I like the bartender because he pours large drinks. Or you could go to the nearby Potbelly, the Bihari kitchen, but they’re better for lunch. 7. On a Wednesday or Saturday evening, go for dinner to Le Bistro du Parc in Defence Colony. This is not in Defence Colony market but right under the Moolchand flyover, just opposite Flavor’s, the Italian kitchen. Le Bistro is run by the very pretty Naina (she’s half French, half Punjabi, and now that I think of it, has a nose that’s a bit like yours. It is a very nice nose). Le Bistro is obviously French and has a very good wine list. The French nationals who come here are all as slim as you, the Indians are all as fat as me, which says something about our cuisines. Or of course, you could just try good old Flavor’s opposite. It’s run by an Italian who’s been around forever. His tiramisu and coffee are delectable and we like him because he was really the first man to teach us that Italian food did not mean Amul cheese dribbled over everything. Should you decide that the food at Le Bistro does not contain enough oil and masala for your Indian palate, you could always try the mutton keema kathi roll (I think I might faint) at the Nizam’s right behind Flavor’s. Please note: I hear that Le Bistro has the writer Rana Dasgupta – he wears his pants up to his chest – play the piano on Wednesday evenings. In the winter, do a Sunday picnic lunch at Lodhi Gardens. Pack lunch and a bottle of wine. Get there once the sun is out properly. × 8. My little favourites. Drive to India Gate late in the evening. Park on the central radial, the road leading up to North and South Blocks. From vendors here, you can buy coffee, kulfi and chuski. Nearby there is cona coffee served in beakers at United Coffee Home in Connaught Place (I really haven't heard anybody call it Rajiv Chowk as yet). Their tajines are exotic enough too but I don’t recommend the food here. CP is a little decrepit nowadays, and UCH’s hygiene seems a bit off. 9. In the winter, do a Sunday picnic lunch at Lodhi Gardens. Pack lunch and a bottle of wine. (You’re not allowed to carry alcohol in so the bottle of wine will have to be hidden in a knapsack.) Get there once the sun is out properly. Don’t worry about when to leave, you won’t want to. 10. Finally, go watch a play at the National School of Drama, or Kamani auditorium, or the Little Theatre Group; they’re all next to each other near CP, close to Triveni. The NSD festival is held sometime in January, so you’ll miss that but if you’re lucky there might be an opera playing in town. The coffee at NSD during the interval is especially good. Plus it gives you the time to ponder why sometimes even going to a mediocre play can be enjoyable. And remember of course, as we say in Delhi, to “enjoy!” (I still haven’t figured out exactly what that means.) (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: A love letter, to a girl and to a city

<p>British Airways (BA) said it would take steps to ensure there was no repeat of a computer system failure that stranded 75,000 passengers over a holiday weekend and turned into a public relations disaster.</p>

<p>BA had been forced to cancel all its flights from Heathrow, Europe&#39;s busiest airport, and Gatwick on Saturday after a power supply problem disrupted its operations worldwide and also hit its call centers and website.</p>

<p>The airline was returning to normal on Monday, planning to run more than 95 per cent of flights from London Heathrow and Gatwick, with only a handful of short-haul flights canceled.</p>

<p>BA Chief Executive Alex Cruz said the root of the problem, which also affected passengers trying to fly into Britain, had been a power surge on Saturday morning which hit BA&#39;s flight, baggage and communication systems. It was so strong it also rendered the back-up systems ineffective, he said.</p>

<p>&quot;Once the disruption is over, we will carry out an exhaustive investigation into what caused this incident, and take measures to ensure it never happens again,&quot; Cruz said.</p>

<p>Over the weekend, some stranded passengers curled up under blankets on the floor or slumped on luggage trolleys, images that played prominently online and in newspapers.</p>

<p>&quot;Apologises all well and good but not enough. BA has lost another loyal customer #disgraceful,&quot; tweeted Tom Callway, who had been due to fly to Budapest.</p>

<p>The company was left counting the cost of the disruption, both in terms of a one-off impact to its profit and the longer term damage to its reputation.</p>

<p>Spanish-listed shares of parent company IAG, which also owns carriers Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling, dropped 2.8 per cent on Monday after the outage. The London-listed shares did not trade because of a public holiday.</p>

<p>Flight compensation website Flightright.com said that with around 800 flights canceled at Gatwick and Heathrow on Saturday and Sunday, BA was looking at having to pay around 61 million euros ($68 million) in compensation under EU rules. That does not include the cost of reimbursing customers for hotel stays.</p>

<p>BA would fully honor its compensation obligations, Cruz said. Of the 75,000 passengers who missed out on flights, around two-thirds would have been flown to their destinations by the end of Monday, he added.</p>

<p><strong>Cost cutting</strong></p>

<p>BA has been cutting costs to respond to competition on short-haul routes from Ryanair and easyJet and recently faced criticism for starting to charge passengers for their in-flight snacks.</p>

<p>Ireland&#39;s Ryanair was quick to seize on the marketing opportunity, tweeting &quot;Should have flown Ryanair&quot; with a picture of the &#39;Computer says no&#39; sketch from the TV series &quot;Little Britain&quot; to poke fun at BA.</p>

<p>Ryanair said it had seen a spike in bookings over the weekend but gave no further details.</p>

<p>The GMB union said that BA&#39;s IT systems had shortcomings after they made a number of staff redundant and shifted their work to India in 2016.</p>

<p>&quot;This could have all been avoided. BA in 2016 made hundreds of dedicated and loyal IT staff redundant and outsourced the work to India,&quot; Mick Rix, GMB National Officer for Aviation, said.</p>

<p>Cruz rejected the union criticism.</p>

<p>&quot;They&#39;ve all been local issues around a local data center, which has been managed and fixed by local resources,&quot; he told Sky News.</p>

<p>Several passengers complained about a lack of information from BA staff at the airport. Others said their luggage had been lost.</p>

<p>The airline said it was working to get reunite passengers with their luggage after many items were left at Heathrow over the weekend, although staff on Twitter warned this &quot;could take some time&quot;.</p>

<p>While other airlines have been hit by computer problems, the scale and length of BA&#39;s troubles were unusual.</p>

<p>Delta Air Lines canceled thousands of flights and delayed many others last August after an outage hit its computer systems.</p>

<p>Last month, Germany&#39;s Lufthansa and Air France suffered a global system outage which briefly prevented them from boarding passengers.</p>

<p>(Reuters)</p>


The airline is returning to normal, planning to run more than 95 per cent of flights from London Heathrow and Gatwick

British Airways (BA) said it would take steps to ensure there was no repeat of a computer system failure that stranded 75,000 passengers over a holiday weekend and turned into a public relations disaster. BA had been forced to cancel all its flights from Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, and Gatwick on Saturday after a power supply problem disrupted its operations worldwide and also hit its call centers and website. The airline was returning to normal on Monday, planning to run more than 95 per cent of flights from London Heathrow and Gatwick, with only a handful of short-haul flights canceled. BA Chief Executive Alex Cruz said the root of the problem, which also affected passengers trying to fly into Britain, had been a power surge on Saturday morning which hit BA's flight, baggage and communication systems. It was so strong it also rendered the back-up systems ineffective, he said. "Once the disruption is over, we will carry out an exhaustive investigation into what caused this incident, and take measures to ensure it never happens again," Cruz said. Over the weekend, some stranded passengers curled up under blankets on the floor or slumped on luggage trolleys, images that played prominently online and in newspapers. "Apologises all well and good but not enough. BA has lost another loyal customer #disgraceful," tweeted Tom Callway, who had been due to fly to Budapest. The company was left counting the cost of the disruption, both in terms of a one-off impact to its profit and the longer term damage to its reputation. Spanish-listed shares of parent company IAG, which also owns carriers Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling, dropped 2.8 per cent on Monday after the outage. The London-listed shares did not trade because of a public holiday. Flight compensation website Flightright.com said that with around 800 flights canceled at Gatwick and Heathrow on Saturday and Sunday, BA was looking at having to pay around 61 million euros ($68 million) in compensation under EU rules. That does not include the cost of reimbursing customers for hotel stays. BA would fully honor its compensation obligations, Cruz said. Of the 75,000 passengers who missed out on flights, around two-thirds would have been flown to their destinations by the end of Monday, he added. Cost cutting BA has been cutting costs to respond to competition on short-haul routes from Ryanair and easyJet and recently faced criticism for starting to charge passengers for their in-flight snacks. Ireland's Ryanair was quick to seize on the marketing opportunity, tweeting "Should have flown Ryanair" with a picture of the 'Computer says no' sketch from the TV series "Little Britain" to poke fun at BA. Ryanair said it had seen a spike in bookings over the weekend but gave no further details. The GMB union said that BA's IT systems had shortcomings after they made a number of staff redundant and shifted their work to India in 2016. "This could have all been avoided. BA in 2016 made hundreds of dedicated and loyal IT staff redundant and outsourced the work to India," Mick Rix, GMB National Officer for Aviation, said. Cruz rejected the union criticism. "They've all been local issues around a local data center, which has been managed and fixed by local resources," he told Sky News. Several passengers complained about a lack of information from BA staff at the airport. Others said their luggage had been lost. The airline said it was working to get reunite passengers with their luggage after many items were left at Heathrow over the weekend, although staff on Twitter warned this "could take some time". While other airlines have been hit by computer problems, the scale and length of BA's troubles were unusual. Delta Air Lines canceled thousands of flights and delayed many others last August after an outage hit its computer systems. Last month, Germany's Lufthansa and Air France suffered a global system outage which briefly prevented them from boarding passengers. (Reuters)

British Airways vows 'never again' after costly IT collapse

<p>Who doesn&#39;t like snow-capped peaks and an opportunity to stay in the open? Well, it&#39;s a possibility now.</p>

<p>The hill town of Manali in Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh is now home to the country&#39;s first igloo properties. You can stay for two nights in the igloo, ski in the wilderness and make the most of a winter wonderland without burning a hole in the pocket.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Keylinga, an adventurer&#39;s paradise has built two igloos in Kullu valley. Covered in thick snow in extreme winter months, the property looks right out of a movie.&nbsp;</p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fmanaliigloo%2Fvideos%2F420473668291215%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="560"></iframe></p>

<p>The igloo house is ideal for two people and offers a variety of winter sports to its inhabitants. In this, you can opt for a combination deal where you stay one night at a hotel and another in the igloo or with a host of camp site activities.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Those who have lived here, call it an experience (Facebook)</p>
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<p>There are different price groups for different stays. But the simplest of them would cost you Rs. 5,600 which includes a single night stay and a short lesson in skiing.&nbsp;This stay&nbsp;includes meals, hot water bottles, ski equipment and warm feather-stuffed sleeping bags. They&rsquo;ll even give extra fleece so you&rsquo;re not found frozen in your sleep.</p>

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<p>A camper at igloo stay in Manali (Facebook)</p>
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<p>There are avenues of winter sports and other activities for those staying in Manali (Facebook)</p>
</div>
&times;</div>

<p>If you&#39;re not one of those who can brave the cold so much but want to travel to the snow then you can simply go the tiny village and enjoy the snow-capped mountains and indulge in winter sports around the site for Rs.&nbsp;2,700. The site is manned by&nbsp;experts and know the hills better than anyone else, so there is nothing to worry about.</p>

<p>We&#39;re thinking of booking it this summer, what about you?&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The stay will cost you less than Rs. 5000 a night

Who doesn't like snow-capped peaks and an opportunity to stay in the open? Well, it's a possibility now. The hill town of Manali in Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh is now home to the country's first igloo properties. You can stay for two nights in the igloo, ski in the wilderness and make the most of a winter wonderland without burning a hole in the pocket. Keylinga, an adventurer's paradise has built two igloos in Kullu valley. Covered in thick snow in extreme winter months, the property looks right out of a movie. The igloo house is ideal for two people and offers a variety of winter sports to its inhabitants. In this, you can opt for a combination deal where you stay one night at a hotel and another in the igloo or with a host of camp site activities. Those who have lived here, call it an experience (Facebook) × There are different price groups for different stays. But the simplest of them would cost you Rs. 5,600 which includes a single night stay and a short lesson in skiing. This stay includes meals, hot water bottles, ski equipment and warm feather-stuffed sleeping bags. They’ll even give extra fleece so you’re not found frozen in your sleep. A camper at igloo stay in Manali (Facebook) × There are avenues of winter sports and other activities for those staying in Manali (Facebook) × If you're not one of those who can brave the cold so much but want to travel to the snow then you can simply go the tiny village and enjoy the snow-capped mountains and indulge in winter sports around the site for Rs. 2,700. The site is manned by experts and know the hills better than anyone else, so there is nothing to worry about. We're thinking of booking it this summer, what about you? (WION)

You can now stay in a real life Igloo in this snow village in Manali

<p>I met Rajat at an event where he had set-up a booth to talk about his&nbsp;start-up. His recently launched&nbsp;travel app has been getting an overwhelming response.&nbsp;His excitement to share his story was infectious and I was one of the honored victims.</p>

<p>A marine pilot smitten by the travel bug, Rajat Kishore wandered from one city to another for otherworldly sites, cultural exploration, meeting new people, self-discovery, and everything else that comes along. But he was not just any other traveller. He liked losing himself to the city, absorbing the&nbsp;colours and vibes of the place. He made friends with the locals; he lived like them, each destination&nbsp;becoming his home. He left a part of himself in the places he visited, and now carries a part of each place in himself. But there was something that kept bothering him - he felt the commercialisation of the travel industry keeps people from experiencing the true nature of each destination. He wanted to change that.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Kazimi: What is your idea of travel?</strong></p>

<p>Rajat: I believe in serendipity. When I travel, I only choose the destination and let the place decide what it has for me. I love interacting with locals and seeing their perspectives. They are the ones who form the spirit of the place and truly know it inside out. There are instances when I made such good friends that they came to my rescue during troubled times. I like to be flexible to experience the unmentioned.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
<strong>Kazimi: Share one such incident that has stayed with you.</strong></p>

<p>Rajat: I was on the way to Leh Ladakh on my motorcycle when the weather got unexpectedly bad. Sudden heavy snowfall shook me to the core and I couldn&rsquo;t see any trace of humans nearby. Just when I was losing hope for my survival, a biker named Tenzin passing by stopped to help me out. He took me to his village (Jispa, 30km from the spot I was at) and gave me shelter in his house. Tenzin and I are still great friends and I treasure the moments I spent with him.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Kazimi: So you just started Lokaso,&nbsp;what is your initial plan of action?</strong></p>

<p>Rajat: Our aim is to change the notion of travel in the minds of people. We want people to explore the destination according to one&rsquo;s own taste and interests, instead of blindly following a pre-planned itinerary that only has touristy offerings. As of now, we are only&nbsp;emphasizing&nbsp;on spreading the word about our start-up.</p>

<p><strong>Kazimi: What hurdles do you think you&#39;ll face?</strong></p>

<p>Rajat: Getting the right people on board. With the boom of technology and the ease to reach out to masses through social media channels, everyone wants to make their idea bigger and better. So we see a new start-up coming up every other day. While we seek self-motivated unconventional thinkers to help us out with the project, most of them are busy making something of their own.</p>

<p><strong>Kazimi:&nbsp;What about personal challenges you&#39;ve faced thus far?</strong></p>

<p>Rajat: I&rsquo;m a social person - spending time with my family and friends has always been a priority for me. With the responsibilities that come with taking care of a start-up, it&rsquo;s challenging to have a work-life balance.</p>

<p><strong>Kazimi: What are your thoughts about the digital revolution in the&nbsp;travel industry?</strong></p>

<p>Rajat: The benefits of technology are uncountable. My biggest concern is that people should not become so involved in the virtual world that they forget about the real world. Even in a regular cafe, you find more people talking to their gadgets than with each other. We conducted a survey to understand how travellers fetch information when exploring any place. The results showed that 90% of them rely on the Internet. I feel they don&rsquo;t realize that several big brands spend billions of dollars to optimize their searchability on the Internet so that they can drive the audience to content that may be biased in a manner that it promotes the sales of their brand.</p>

<p>(Coordinator and Editor: Devanshi Verma)</p>


'When I travel, I only choose the destination and let the place decide what it has for me'

I met Rajat at an event where he had set-up a booth to talk about his start-up. His recently launched travel app has been getting an overwhelming response. His excitement to share his story was infectious and I was one of the honored victims. A marine pilot smitten by the travel bug, Rajat Kishore wandered from one city to another for otherworldly sites, cultural exploration, meeting new people, self-discovery, and everything else that comes along. But he was not just any other traveller. He liked losing himself to the city, absorbing the colours and vibes of the place. He made friends with the locals; he lived like them, each destination becoming his home. He left a part of himself in the places he visited, and now carries a part of each place in himself. But there was something that kept bothering him - he felt the commercialisation of the travel industry keeps people from experiencing the true nature of each destination. He wanted to change that. Kazimi: What is your idea of travel? Rajat: I believe in serendipity. When I travel, I only choose the destination and let the place decide what it has for me. I love interacting with locals and seeing their perspectives. They are the ones who form the spirit of the place and truly know it inside out. There are instances when I made such good friends that they came to my rescue during troubled times. I like to be flexible to experience the unmentioned. Kazimi: Share one such incident that has stayed with you. Rajat: I was on the way to Leh Ladakh on my motorcycle when the weather got unexpectedly bad. Sudden heavy snowfall shook me to the core and I couldn’t see any trace of humans nearby. Just when I was losing hope for my survival, a biker named Tenzin passing by stopped to help me out. He took me to his village (Jispa, 30km from the spot I was at) and gave me shelter in his house. Tenzin and I are still great friends and I treasure the moments I spent with him. Kazimi: So you just started Lokaso, what is your initial plan of action? Rajat: Our aim is to change the notion of travel in the minds of people. We want people to explore the destination according to one’s own taste and interests, instead of blindly following a pre-planned itinerary that only has touristy offerings. As of now, we are only emphasizing on spreading the word about our start-up. Kazimi: What hurdles do you think you'll face? Rajat: Getting the right people on board. With the boom of technology and the ease to reach out to masses through social media channels, everyone wants to make their idea bigger and better. So we see a new start-up coming up every other day. While we seek self-motivated unconventional thinkers to help us out with the project, most of them are busy making something of their own. Kazimi: What about personal challenges you've faced thus far? Rajat: I’m a social person - spending time with my family and friends has always been a priority for me. With the responsibilities that come with taking care of a start-up, it’s challenging to have a work-life balance. Kazimi: What are your thoughts about the digital revolution in the travel industry? Rajat: The benefits of technology are uncountable. My biggest concern is that people should not become so involved in the virtual world that they forget about the real world. Even in a regular cafe, you find more people talking to their gadgets than with each other. We conducted a survey to understand how travellers fetch information when exploring any place. The results showed that 90% of them rely on the Internet. I feel they don’t realize that several big brands spend billions of dollars to optimize their searchability on the Internet so that they can drive the audience to content that may be biased in a manner that it promotes the sales of their brand. (Coordinator and Editor: Devanshi Verma)

Konversations: Is there something wrong with the way we travel?

<p>The technicolor construction in Slovenia used to be a prison built by the Austro-Hungarian army that remained in use till the early 1990s. The jail was artistically renovated into a quirky backpackers hostel by 80 local and international artists to stop the building&rsquo;s demolition.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/coXO0kWXqsk?list=PLmWa9ZZLlCjt0Jlg7kN3JBNX4LH1sRsGh" width="970"></iframe><br />
<br />
It was named as Hostel &lsquo;Celica&rsquo;, which means cell in Slovene to revere the building&rsquo;s past identity. The twenty cells are confined with bars on all exit points and are allocated to guests without choice like prisoners to add to the feeling of conviction.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Besides the fascinating history and creative decor, the hostel is also known for the sustainability measures taken to maintain an eco-friendly environment. The hostel won the Gold Travelife for sustainability in tourism because of initiatives like recycling, re-using materials and monitoring the cost of energy<br />
&nbsp;</p>


80 artists renovate a jail into a quirky backpackers hostel

The technicolor construction in Slovenia used to be a prison built by the Austro-Hungarian army that remained in use till the early 1990s. The jail was artistically renovated into a quirky backpackers hostel by 80 local and international artists to stop the building’s demolition. It was named as Hostel ‘Celica’, which means cell in Slovene to revere the building’s past identity. The twenty cells are confined with bars on all exit points and are allocated to guests without choice like prisoners to add to the feeling of conviction. Besides the fascinating history and creative decor, the hostel is also known for the sustainability measures taken to maintain an eco-friendly environment. The hostel won the Gold Travelife for sustainability in tourism because of initiatives like recycling, re-using materials and monitoring the cost of energy

Video: A night in the lock-up at the stylish prison turned hostel

<p>What if I told you that some countries are separated by...barely anything.&nbsp;Going from one country to another&nbsp;is literally&nbsp;like crossing the&nbsp;street. Sometimes, rather than a brief border&nbsp;void,&nbsp;something quirky falls on the line straddling the two&nbsp;countries, highlighting the casual relations between them.</p>

<p>Scroll down for some of the most porous&nbsp;and interesting international borders:&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Norway and Sweden:</strong></li>
</ul>

<p>Blanketed with ice and dense forests, Norway and Sweden have a lot in common. In the above picture, the border trail in the middle divides the two countries, with Norway on the right and Sweden on the left. Adventure travellers use the area to race&nbsp;snowmobiles. This is not the only quirky border the two share:&nbsp;in&nbsp;other places there are&nbsp;walkways with basically only chalk lines&nbsp;dividing&nbsp;the&nbsp;two countries, such as in the&nbsp;picture below.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/norwayswedenborder1-20160929125334.jpeg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Norway-Sweden border (Twitter)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/norwayswedenborder-20160929125229.jpeg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Norway-Sweden border (Twitter)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Netherlands and Belgium:&nbsp;</strong></li>
</ul>

<p>A quaint little town of Baarle falls both in Netherlands and Belgium. It means that the town is essentially split in two, with the Belgium side officially recognised as Baarle-Hertog and the side in Netherlands, recognised as Baarle-Nassau. There are places where buildings and&nbsp;cafes&nbsp;fall&nbsp;within both&nbsp;countries.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/belgiumnetherlandsborder-20160929015814.jpeg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Belgium-Netherlands border through a cafe (Twitter)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Ethiopia and Somalialand:</strong></li>
</ul>

<p>The inhabitants of these countries must get along pretty well. The two neighbours are literally divided by only a string that signifies its border.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/ethiopiasomalia-20160929125353.jpeg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Ethiopia-Somalia border (Twitter)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Russia and the United States:&nbsp;</strong></li>
</ul>

<p>Little is known about the Diomede Islands,&nbsp;situated between mainland Alaska and Siberia, that fall under both&nbsp;Russian and&nbsp;American territory. They are&nbsp;2.4 miles apart from one another;&nbsp;the Big Diomede is&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;while the&nbsp;Little Diomede is a part of the&nbsp;US. Time-wise, the Russian island is 21 hours ahead of the American island.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/diomedeislands.jpg-large-20160929125123.jpeg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Diomede Islands (Twitter)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Spain and Portugal:</strong></li>
</ul>

<p>The European countries have a zipline that people can take&nbsp;in&nbsp;Spain and&nbsp;land in Portugal. Littles less than half a mile long, anyone wanting to enter Portugal from Spain can look forward to one of the most exciting ways to travel. And the best is you gain an hour&rsquo;s time, as the latter falls in a different time zone.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/spainportugal-20160929125625.jpeg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Spain-Portugal border (Twitter)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>United States and Mexico:</strong></li>
</ul>

<p>Bordering countries America&nbsp;and Mexico have a road running between them, and this road has&nbsp;a very stark contrast on either side.&nbsp;While the American side is&nbsp;largely&nbsp;barren, the Mexican side is&nbsp;bustling&nbsp;with buildings and industry.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/usmexicoborder-20160929020026.jpeg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>United States-Mexico border (Twitter)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>United States and Canada:</strong></li>
</ul>

<p>The countries share the world&rsquo;s longest border, which covers all possible biodiversity. The border runs through the town of <em>Derby Line</em> which splits some buildings in&nbsp;half. Thick forest cover is carefully cleared out every year to make way for a distinguishable boundary between the two nations. The process is called <em>Slash</em> which is a treeless zone, 20 feet wide.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/uscanada-20160929015635.jpeg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>United States- Canada border (Twitter)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Poland and Ukraine:</strong></li>
</ul>

<p>The two countries Poland and Ukraine share a peaceful border where the artist <em>Jaroslaw Koziara</em> has designed two fishes in a unique manner on the grasslands. It symbolises the unity they share.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/polandukraine-20160929015929.jpeg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Poland-Ukraine border (Twitter)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Argentina/Paraguay/Brazil:</strong></li>
</ul>

<p>The three South American nations share a natural border. The Parana River and Iguazu River&nbsp;splitt&nbsp;the three countries right where the landmasses&nbsp;meet.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/argentina-20160929125442.jpeg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Parana and Iguazu Rivers borders between Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. (Twitter)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Argentina and Chile:</strong></li>
</ul>

<p>A statue of Jesus known as <em>Christ the Redeemer of the Andes</em>&nbsp;was put up in 1904 to signify peace between the two South American countries. There is also <em>The Eyes of the Salt Flat</em>, a natural miracle on the border between Argentina and Chile.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/argentinachile1-20160929011239.jpeg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>&#39;Christ the Redeemer of the Andes&#39; statue at the Argentina and Chile border (Twitter)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Germany and the Netherlands:</strong></li>
</ul>

<p>Germany and Netherlands have a unique border where one&nbsp;building is a part of each country. There is&nbsp;literally a dividing line in the middle of the floor, serving as a national border. So on one side&nbsp;you have a German mailbox and a German policeman, and on the other&nbsp;a Dutch mailbox and a&nbsp;Dutch policeman.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/germanynetherlands-20160929015721.jpeg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Germany-Netherlands border through a building (Twitter)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Are you planning on packing your bags to check them out? I feel like doing so!</p>

<p><em>(Contributed by: Zeba Khan)</em></p>


Take one step towards left or right and you will be in a different country

What if I told you that some countries are separated by...barely anything. Going from one country to another is literally like crossing the street. Sometimes, rather than a brief border void, something quirky falls on the line straddling the two countries, highlighting the casual relations between them. Scroll down for some of the most porous and interesting international borders: Norway and Sweden: Blanketed with ice and dense forests, Norway and Sweden have a lot in common. In the above picture, the border trail in the middle divides the two countries, with Norway on the right and Sweden on the left. Adventure travellers use the area to race snowmobiles. This is not the only quirky border the two share: in other places there are walkways with basically only chalk lines dividing the two countries, such as in the picture below. Norway-Sweden border (Twitter) × Norway-Sweden border (Twitter) × Netherlands and Belgium: A quaint little town of Baarle falls both in Netherlands and Belgium. It means that the town is essentially split in two, with the Belgium side officially recognised as Baarle-Hertog and the side in Netherlands, recognised as Baarle-Nassau. There are places where buildings and cafes fall within both countries. Belgium-Netherlands border through a cafe (Twitter) × Ethiopia and Somalialand: The inhabitants of these countries must get along pretty well. The two neighbours are literally divided by only a string that signifies its border. Ethiopia-Somalia border (Twitter) × Russia and the United States: Little is known about the Diomede Islands, situated between mainland Alaska and Siberia, that fall under both Russian and American territory. They are 2.4 miles apart from one another; the Big Diomede is Russian while the Little Diomede is a part of the US. Time-wise, the Russian island is 21 hours ahead of the American island. Diomede Islands (Twitter) × Spain and Portugal: The European countries have a zipline that people can take in Spain and land in Portugal. Littles less than half a mile long, anyone wanting to enter Portugal from Spain can look forward to one of the most exciting ways to travel. And the best is you gain an hour’s time, as the latter falls in a different time zone. Spain-Portugal border (Twitter) × United States and Mexico: Bordering countries America and Mexico have a road running between them, and this road has a very stark contrast on either side. While the American side is largely barren, the Mexican side is bustling with buildings and industry. United States-Mexico border (Twitter) × United States and Canada: The countries share the world’s longest border, which covers all possible biodiversity. The border runs through the town of Derby Line which splits some buildings in half. Thick forest cover is carefully cleared out every year to make way for a distinguishable boundary between the two nations. The process is called Slash which is a treeless zone, 20 feet wide. United States- Canada border (Twitter) × Poland and Ukraine: The two countries Poland and Ukraine share a peaceful border where the artist Jaroslaw Koziara has designed two fishes in a unique manner on the grasslands. It symbolises the unity they share. Poland-Ukraine border (Twitter) × Argentina/Paraguay/Brazil: The three South American nations share a natural border. The Parana River and Iguazu River splitt the three countries right where the landmasses meet. Parana and Iguazu Rivers borders between Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. (Twitter) × Argentina and Chile: A statue of Jesus known as Christ the Redeemer of the Andes was put up in 1904 to signify peace between the two South American countries. There is also The Eyes of the Salt Flat, a natural miracle on the border between Argentina and Chile. 'Christ the Redeemer of the Andes' statue at the Argentina and Chile border (Twitter) × Germany and the Netherlands: Germany and Netherlands have a unique border where one building is a part of each country. There is literally a dividing line in the middle of the floor, serving as a national border. So on one side you have a German mailbox and a German policeman, and on the other a Dutch mailbox and a Dutch policeman. Germany-Netherlands border through a building (Twitter) × Are you planning on packing your bags to check them out? I feel like doing so! (Contributed by: Zeba Khan)

Most insane country borders you never knew existed

They say that every food has its own story to tell. The South Asian region also has some of the most lip-smacking street foods that every foodie must try.<br />
<br />
Here is a list of some delicacies from the region, recommended by social media users, that you must try:&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;
<ul>
	<li><strong>Nepal</strong></li>
</ul>
<strong> </strong>Some must-haves are: Chatamari (crepe made of rice flour), &nbsp;spiced and grilled buffalo meat locally known as Choila, which&nbsp;goes best with a homemade liquor called Newari, and&nbsp;&nbsp;Nepalese-style barbecued meat better known as Sekuwa.<br />
<br />
You can also try noodle soup, Thukpa.<br />
<br />
Sweet dish made with rice, Phirni, is quite popular here.&nbsp;
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NepalNOW?src=hash">#NepalNOW</a> Foodies&#39; Diary<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/chatamari?src=hash">#chatamari</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/foddie?src=hash">#foddie</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dinner?src=hash">#dinner</a> ??: <a href="https://twitter.com/AGhale">@aghale</a> <a href="https://t.co/s0y2IEkDSN">pic.twitter.com/s0y2IEkDSN</a></p>
&mdash; nepalNOW (@thenepalnow) <a href="https://twitter.com/thenepalnow/status/688972896962768896">January 18, 2016</a></blockquote>
</div>

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">No one ever said you can never celebrate Tuesdays. :D<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Choila?src=hash">#Choila</a> from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BajekoSekuwa?src=hash">#BajekoSekuwa</a> <a href="https://t.co/0ayqEisJLM">pic.twitter.com/0ayqEisJLM</a></p>
&mdash; Foodmandu (@foodmandu) <a href="https://twitter.com/foodmandu/status/740146342354419712">June 7, 2016</a></blockquote>
</div>

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="fi">Mutton Sekuwa????<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sekuwa?src=hash">#sekuwa</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/mutton?src=hash">#mutton</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/khasi?src=hash">#khasi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/khasikosekuwa?src=hash">#khasikosekuwa</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/barbecue?src=hash">#barbecue</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nepalifood?src=hash">#nepalifood</a> <a href="https://t.co/clZ5aQUbS8">pic.twitter.com/clZ5aQUbS8</a></p>
&mdash; Nepali Tummy (@NepaliTummy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NepaliTummy/status/750836376556347392">July 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
</div>

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chicken Thukpa Recipe thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/HungryForeverCo">@hungryforeverco</a> - get the recipe <a href="https://t.co/SOLiTlz9u2">https://t.co/SOLiTlz9u2</a> <a href="https://t.co/hwSGE6IfAQ">pic.twitter.com/hwSGE6IfAQ</a></p>
&mdash; eat365 (@eat365) <a href="https://twitter.com/eat365/status/771498038925885440">September 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
</div>
&nbsp;<br />
<br />
&nbsp;
<ul>
	<li><strong>India</strong></li>
</ul>
<strong> </strong>India is expansive in size and offers a huge range of street foods due to country&#39;s diversity.<br />
<br />
Some delicacies worth giving a try are: Jalebi (crisp deep-fried refined flour and yogurt batter spirals dunked in saffron sugar syrup)&nbsp;in sweets, savoury snacks like Chaaat, Golgappas (fried crisps with flavoured water), Chole Bhature (fried bread coupled with spicy&nbsp;chickpea preparation) and Aloo Tikki (spiced, crispy potato patties).&nbsp;
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Awesome?src=hash">#Awesome</a> Food : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Made?src=hash">#Made</a> jalebi 1st time.. Yumm yumm yummmy.... Shape n taste turned out good&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/KnYXOKsabf">https://t.co/KnYXOKsabf</a> <a href="https://t.co/7CllnMwCPx">pic.twitter.com/7CllnMwCPx</a></p>
&mdash; Vilo Kanis (@SeeYouGuysCom) <a href="https://twitter.com/SeeYouGuysCom/status/716950724664496128">April 4, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Can I eat chaat all day? Indian street food love. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash">#Delhi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/travel?src=hash">#travel</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/streetfood?src=hash">#streetfood</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/indianchaat?src=hash">#indianchaat</a> <a href="https://t.co/Vxkngf2p6h">https://t.co/Vxkngf2p6h</a> <a href="https://t.co/qZpdHslZrt">pic.twitter.com/qZpdHslZrt</a></p>
&mdash; The Saccharine Habit (@foodbysssourabh) <a href="https://twitter.com/foodbysssourabh/status/663496860393299968">November 8, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">???? - ????? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CholeBhature?src=hash">#CholeBhature</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndianCuisine?src=hash">#IndianCuisine</a> ???? <a href="https://t.co/9hjg7PIv9A">pic.twitter.com/9hjg7PIv9A</a></p>
&mdash; Planet Spices (@planetspices) <a href="https://twitter.com/planetspices/status/774675444079689728">September 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Experience the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/flavours?src=hash">#flavours</a> of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash">#India</a> in our dishes! Taste the savoury <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Samosa?src=hash">#Samosa</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AlooTikki?src=hash">#AlooTikki</a> for yourself! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndianFood?src=hash">#IndianFood</a> <a href="https://t.co/S6SmcfAFox">pic.twitter.com/S6SmcfAFox</a></p>
&mdash; Tandoori Flame (@Tandoori_Flame) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tandoori_Flame/status/757991391595204608">July 26, 2016</a></blockquote>
</div>

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This Golgappa is specially for u di?? <a href="https://twitter.com/shreyaghoshal">@shreyaghoshal</a> as my <a href="https://twitter.com/snehajh37544769">@snehajh37544769</a> promised u but u have to come online soon <a href="https://t.co/Miie836hpc">pic.twitter.com/Miie836hpc</a></p>
&mdash; &hearts;Siri?? SGian&hearts; (@sirishapappu77) <a href="https://twitter.com/sirishapappu77/status/774304964961116160">September 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><strong>Pakistan</strong></li>
</ul>

<p>Street&nbsp;food lovers in Pakistan cannot afford to give a miss to &#39;Kebabs&#39; (grilled and barbecued meat), Nihari (beef or lamb stew cooked slowly for a long period of time) and Biryani, a mixed rice dish.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="hi"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Food?src=hash">#Food</a> street <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nothia?src=hash">#Nothia</a> bazar <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Peshawar?src=hash">#Peshawar</a> cantt <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pakistan?src=hash">#Pakistan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Peace?src=hash">#Peace</a> <a href="https://t.co/ySQhDRFdcI">pic.twitter.com/ySQhDRFdcI</a></p>
&mdash; Muhammad Mudassir (@mudassir98u) <a href="https://twitter.com/mudassir98u/status/769542906323562496">August 27, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="in">Kebabs<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ramazan?src=hash">#Ramazan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ramadan?src=hash">#ramadan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pakistan?src=hash">#Pakistan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/iftar?src=hash">#iftar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kebab?src=hash">#kebab</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/night?src=hash">#night</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/party?src=hash">#party</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/foodilicious?src=hash">#foodilicious</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sizzling?src=hash">#sizzling</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bbq?src=hash">#bbq</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/burger?src=hash">#burger</a> <a href="http://t.co/BOw2qPfJ4J">pic.twitter.com/BOw2qPfJ4J</a></p>
&mdash; Irfan Ahmad Rana (@IRFANRANACRP) <a href="https://twitter.com/IRFANRANACRP/status/615534828016918528">June 29, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

<p dir="ltr" lang="in"><br />
<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<ul dir="ltr">
	<li lang="in"><strong>Afghanistan</strong></li>
</ul>
?The landlocked country has a unique take on non-vegetarian food items.<br />
<br />
You can have steamed Afghani dumpling, locally known as Mantu, filled with lamb. The dish is best served with yogurt and&nbsp;kidney beans in a tomato sauce and dried mint.<br />
<br />
Bolani, traditional&nbsp;baked or fried&nbsp;flatbread&nbsp;stuffed with vegetables, is also popular among food&nbsp;connoisseurs. You can also feast on Afghani rice while travelling.&nbsp;
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Awesome?src=hash">#Awesome</a> Food : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mantu?src=hash">#Mantu</a> - afghan steamed beef dumplings with lentil and yogurt <a href="https://t.co/3sGnOcaPxB">https://t.co/3sGnOcaPxB</a> <a href="https://t.co/cPmlM1UVuQ">pic.twitter.com/cPmlM1UVuQ</a></p>
&mdash; Vilo Kanis (@SeeYouGuysCom) <a href="https://twitter.com/SeeYouGuysCom/status/768826199351123968">August 25, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Did you try? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bolani?src=hash">#Bolani</a> with Leek and Potato, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pashtun?src=hash">#Pashtun</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cuisine?src=hash">#Cuisine</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Peshawar?src=hash">#Peshawar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Afghanistan?src=hash">#Afghanistan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Quetta?src=hash">#Quetta</a> <a href="https://t.co/hgb2OKPVDM">pic.twitter.com/hgb2OKPVDM</a></p>
&mdash; Pukhtoogle (@Pukhtoogle) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pukhtoogle/status/665818947573424128">November 15, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="und"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/filetMignon?src=hash">#filetMignon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/halal?src=hash">#halal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/afghanfood?src=hash">#afghanfood</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/afghancuisine?src=hash">#afghancuisine</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Afghanifood?src=hash">#Afghanifood</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/naringe?src=hash">#naringe</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kabli?src=hash">#kabli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/palaw?src=hash">#palaw</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paloa?src=hash">#paloa</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AfghaniRice?src=hash">#AfghaniRice</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/grilled?src=hash">#grilled</a> <a href="https://t.co/eHJqWcxb0X">pic.twitter.com/eHJqWcxb0X</a></p>
&mdash; TheSilkRoadRest (@thesilkroadrest) <a href="https://twitter.com/thesilkroadrest/status/767411518904336384">August 21, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
&nbsp;<br />
<br />
&nbsp;
<ul dir="ltr">
	<li lang="in"><strong>Sri Lanka</strong></li>
</ul>
<strong>?</strong>Dig into egg hoppers (pancakes and fried egg), or satiate your taste buds with sesame balls called Thalaguli. &nbsp;&nbsp;

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">11 Delicious Ways to Experience the Best of Sri Lanka: <a href="https://t.co/VotYkpVWqH">https://t.co/VotYkpVWqH</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/delicious?src=hash">#delicious</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/food?src=hash">#food</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/culinary?src=hash">#culinary</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/srilanka?src=hash">#srilanka</a> <a href="https://t.co/3b44WCsUcg">pic.twitter.com/3b44WCsUcg</a></p>
&mdash; SmarterTravel (@SmarterTravel) <a href="https://twitter.com/SmarterTravel/status/771380215801081856">September 1, 2016</a></blockquote>
</div>

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Thala Guli. Must try sweet in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SriLanka?src=hash">#SriLanka</a>. A delicacy made from Sesame seeds and jaggery. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/food?src=hash">#food</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/delicious?src=hash">#delicious</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/travel?src=hash">#travel</a> <a href="https://t.co/ijK9jATxMa">pic.twitter.com/ijK9jATxMa</a></p>
&mdash; Yasoma Galloluwe (@pgtravels_sl) <a href="https://twitter.com/pgtravels_sl/status/772487061534375936">September 4, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Colors of Pettah<a href="https://t.co/yTHWz2Aoj5">https://t.co/yTHWz2Aoj5</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/srilanka?src=hash">#srilanka</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pettah?src=hash">#pettah</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/food?src=hash">#food</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/people?src=hash">#people</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryDaySriLanka?src=hash">#EveryDaySriLanka</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/streetphotography?src=hash">#streetphotography</a> <a href="https://t.co/giaGkOXJUD">pic.twitter.com/giaGkOXJUD</a></p>
&mdash; Nazly Ahmed (@nazly) <a href="https://twitter.com/nazly/status/770436212876206080">August 30, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;
<ul dir="ltr">
	<li lang="in"><strong>Bangladesh</strong></li>
</ul>
<strong>?</strong>Influenced by Indian Bengali cuisine, Morog Pulao is a special kind of rice with large portions of chicken.&nbsp;

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Best of Bangladesh food: Kacchi Biryani! <a href="https://t.co/ddJbzsM5bP">https://t.co/ddJbzsM5bP</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bangladesh?src=hash">#Bangladesh</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/food?src=hash">#food</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/travel?src=hash">#travel</a> <a href="https://t.co/CAJjFAl9ug">pic.twitter.com/CAJjFAl9ug</a></p>
&mdash; BonVoyageurs (@BonVoyageurs) <a href="https://twitter.com/BonVoyageurs/status/763888129342332928">August 12, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;
<ul>
	<li><strong>Bhutan</strong></li>
</ul>
<strong>?</strong>Try the hot and spicy Ema Datshi, red rice and stew made of chilies, cheese and veggies.<br />
<br />
Shakam Datshi, a dish prepared with dried beef with red chillies, is also popular&nbsp;for its unique cheesy texture
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Missing <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EmaDatshi?src=hash">#EmaDatshi</a>, the signature Bhutanese Cuisine. It&#39;s made of chili peppers and cheese.<a href="https://twitter.com/EaseIndiaTravel">@EaseIndiaTravel</a> <a href="https://t.co/2RNCfTdden">pic.twitter.com/2RNCfTdden</a></p>
&mdash; Neha Sharma (@NehaSharmaHere) <a href="https://twitter.com/NehaSharmaHere/status/714296161344028672">March 28, 2016</a></blockquote>
</div>
&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;
<ul>
	<li><strong>Maldives</strong></li>
</ul>
<strong>?</strong>The island country is famous for its sea food.&nbsp;

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lobster for tonight - Lily Beach Resort<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bmrtg?src=hash">#bmrtg</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Maldives?src=hash">#Maldives</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lobster?src=hash">#lobster</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%E9%A9%AC%E5%B0%94%E4%BB%A3%E5%A4%AB?src=hash">#????</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD?src=hash">#??</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/picoftheday?src=hash">#picoftheday</a> &hellip; <a href="http://t.co/odabtA40SJ">http://t.co/odabtA40SJ</a> <a href="http://t.co/NaobrfUG6N">pic.twitter.com/NaobrfUG6N</a></p>
&mdash; MALDIVITY&trade; (@MALDIVITY) <a href="https://twitter.com/MALDIVITY/status/597157583372349442">May 9, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Whatever yr Favourite Meal, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Maldives?src=hash">#Maldives</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/culinarydelight?src=hash">#culinarydelight</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Prawn?src=hash">#Prawn</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VisitMaldivesYear2016?src=hash">#VisitMaldivesYear2016</a> <a href="https://t.co/iZIVzBiq5c">pic.twitter.com/iZIVzBiq5c</a></p>
&mdash; Y &amp; Y Maldives (@ynymaldives) <a href="https://twitter.com/ynymaldives/status/663688597879414785">November 9, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Try this <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/recipe?src=hash">#recipe</a> for Goan style shrimp kebabs from Constance Moofushi - <a href="https://t.co/MC9lvk6VF6">https://t.co/MC9lvk6VF6</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/seafood?src=hash">#seafood</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Maldives?src=hash">#Maldives</a> <a href="https://t.co/Z1UZVPjs8p">pic.twitter.com/Z1UZVPjs8p</a></p>
&mdash; Constance Hotels (@constancehotels) <a href="https://twitter.com/constancehotels/status/739743646543548417">June 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

<p dir="ltr" lang="in"><br />
<br />
<em>(Contributed by: Zeba Khan)</em></p>

<div class="twitter-block"><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>


Ditch the fancy restaurants and taste the region's authentic flavours on the roads

They say that every food has its own story to tell. The South Asian region also has some of the most lip-smacking street foods that every foodie must try. Here is a list of some delicacies from the region, recommended by social media users, that you must try: Nepal Some must-haves are: Chatamari (crepe made of rice flour), spiced and grilled buffalo meat locally known as Choila, which goes best with a homemade liquor called Newari, and Nepalese-style barbecued meat better known as Sekuwa. You can also try noodle soup, Thukpa. Sweet dish made with rice, Phirni, is quite popular here. #NepalNOW Foodies' Diary#chatamari #foddie #dinner ??: @aghale pic.twitter.com/s0y2IEkDSN — nepalNOW (@thenepalnow) January 18, 2016 No one ever said you can never celebrate Tuesdays. :D#Choila from #BajekoSekuwa pic.twitter.com/0ayqEisJLM — Foodmandu (@foodmandu) June 7, 2016 Mutton Sekuwa????#sekuwa #mutton #khasi #khasikosekuwa #barbecue #nepalifood pic.twitter.com/clZ5aQUbS8 — Nepali Tummy (@NepaliTummy) July 6, 2016 Chicken Thukpa Recipe thanks to @hungryforeverco - get the recipe https://t.co/SOLiTlz9u2 pic.twitter.com/hwSGE6IfAQ — eat365 (@eat365) September 2, 2016 India India is expansive in size and offers a huge range of street foods due to country's diversity. Some delicacies worth giving a try are: Jalebi (crisp deep-fried refined flour and yogurt batter spirals dunked in saffron sugar syrup) in sweets, savoury snacks like Chaaat, Golgappas (fried crisps with flavoured water), Chole Bhature (fried bread coupled with spicy chickpea preparation) and Aloo Tikki (spiced, crispy potato patties). #Awesome Food : #Made jalebi 1st time.. Yumm yumm yummmy.... Shape n taste turned out good… https://t.co/KnYXOKsabf pic.twitter.com/7CllnMwCPx — Vilo Kanis (@SeeYouGuysCom) April 4, 2016 Can I eat chaat all day? Indian street food love. #Delhi #travel #streetfood #indianchaat https://t.co/Vxkngf2p6h pic.twitter.com/qZpdHslZrt — The Saccharine Habit (@foodbysssourabh) November 8, 2015 ???? - ????? #CholeBhature #IndianCuisine ???? pic.twitter.com/9hjg7PIv9A — Planet Spices (@planetspices) September 10, 2016 Experience the #flavours of #India in our dishes! Taste the savoury #Samosa and #AlooTikki for yourself! #IndianFood pic.twitter.com/S6SmcfAFox — Tandoori Flame (@Tandoori_Flame) July 26, 2016 This Golgappa is specially for u di?? @shreyaghoshal as my @snehajh37544769 promised u but u have to come online soon pic.twitter.com/Miie836hpc — ♥Siri?? SGian♥ (@sirishapappu77) September 9, 2016 Pakistan Street food lovers in Pakistan cannot afford to give a miss to 'Kebabs' (grilled and barbecued meat), Nihari (beef or lamb stew cooked slowly for a long period of time) and Biryani, a mixed rice dish. #Food street #Nothia bazar #Peshawar cantt #Pakistan #Peace pic.twitter.com/ySQhDRFdcI — Muhammad Mudassir (@mudassir98u) August 27, 2016 Kebabs#Ramazan #ramadan #Pakistan #iftar #kebab #night #party #foodilicious #sizzling #bbq #burger pic.twitter.com/BOw2qPfJ4J — Irfan Ahmad Rana (@IRFANRANACRP) June 29, 2015 Afghanistan ?The landlocked country has a unique take on non-vegetarian food items. You can have steamed Afghani dumpling, locally known as Mantu, filled with lamb. The dish is best served with yogurt and kidney beans in a tomato sauce and dried mint. Bolani, traditional baked or fried flatbread stuffed with vegetables, is also popular among food connoisseurs. You can also feast on Afghani rice while travelling. #Awesome Food : #Mantu - afghan steamed beef dumplings with lentil and yogurt https://t.co/3sGnOcaPxB pic.twitter.com/cPmlM1UVuQ — Vilo Kanis (@SeeYouGuysCom) August 25, 2016 Did you try? #Bolani with Leek and Potato, #Pashtun #Cuisine #Peshawar #Afghanistan #Quetta pic.twitter.com/hgb2OKPVDM — Pukhtoogle (@Pukhtoogle) November 15, 2015 #filetMignon #halal #afghanfood #afghancuisine #Afghanifood #naringe #kabli #palaw #paloa #AfghaniRice #grilled pic.twitter.com/eHJqWcxb0X — TheSilkRoadRest (@thesilkroadrest) August 21, 2016 Sri Lanka ?Dig into egg hoppers (pancakes and fried egg), or satiate your taste buds with sesame balls called Thalaguli. 11 Delicious Ways to Experience the Best of Sri Lanka: https://t.co/VotYkpVWqH #delicious #food #culinary #srilanka pic.twitter.com/3b44WCsUcg — SmarterTravel (@SmarterTravel) September 1, 2016 Thala Guli. Must try sweet in #SriLanka. A delicacy made from Sesame seeds and jaggery. #food #delicious #travel pic.twitter.com/ijK9jATxMa — Yasoma Galloluwe (@pgtravels_sl) September 4, 2016 Colors of Pettahhttps://t.co/yTHWz2Aoj5#srilanka #pettah #food #people #EveryDaySriLanka #streetphotography pic.twitter.com/giaGkOXJUD — Nazly Ahmed (@nazly) August 30, 2016 Bangladesh ?Influenced by Indian Bengali cuisine, Morog Pulao is a special kind of rice with large portions of chicken. Best of Bangladesh food: Kacchi Biryani! https://t.co/ddJbzsM5bP #Bangladesh #food #travel pic.twitter.com/CAJjFAl9ug — BonVoyageurs (@BonVoyageurs) August 12, 2016 Bhutan ?Try the hot and spicy Ema Datshi, red rice and stew made of chilies, cheese and veggies. Shakam Datshi, a dish prepared with dried beef with red chillies, is also popular for its unique cheesy texture Missing #EmaDatshi, the signature Bhutanese Cuisine. It's made of chili peppers and cheese.@EaseIndiaTravel pic.twitter.com/2RNCfTdden — Neha Sharma (@NehaSharmaHere) March 28, 2016 Maldives ?The island country is famous for its sea food. Lobster for tonight - Lily Beach Resort#bmrtg #Maldives #lobster #???? #?? #picoftheday … http://t.co/odabtA40SJ pic.twitter.com/NaobrfUG6N — MALDIVITY™ (@MALDIVITY) May 9, 2015 Whatever yr Favourite Meal, #Maldives #culinarydelight #Prawn #VisitMaldivesYear2016 pic.twitter.com/iZIVzBiq5c — Y & Y Maldives (@ynymaldives) November 9, 2015 Try this #recipe for Goan style shrimp kebabs from Constance Moofushi - https://t.co/MC9lvk6VF6 #seafood #Maldives pic.twitter.com/Z1UZVPjs8p — Constance Hotels (@constancehotels) June 6, 2016 (Contributed by: Zeba Khan)

Street foods from South Asia you can't afford to miss

Federal health officials on Friday warned pregnant women not to travel to trendy&nbsp;Miami Beach after Florida confirmed that the mosquito-borne Zika virus was active in the popular tourist&nbsp;destination.<br />
<br />
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also suggested that pregnant women who are especially&nbsp;worried about exposure to Zika - which has been shown to cause the severe birth defect known as&nbsp;microcephaly - might consider avoiding all of Miami-Dade County.<br />
<br />
The new warnings represent a challenge to Florida&#39;s multibillion dollar tourism industry, with Miami Beach&nbsp;accounting for nearly half of visitor stays in the city, and heighten concerns over Zika&#39;s spread in the&nbsp;continental United States.<br />
<br />
In a press conference, Florida Governor Rick Scott said state health officials had identified five cases&nbsp;of Zika believed to be contracted in Miami Beach.<br />
<br />
&quot;This means we believe we have a new area where local transmissions are occurring in Miami Beach,&quot; he&nbsp;said, noting that the state had already stepped up pesticide spraying efforts in this area.<br />
<br />
The new transmissions come as Miami-Dade continues to battle Zika in the Wynwood arts neighborhood of&nbsp;Miami, the site of the first locally transmitted cases of Zika in the continental United States.<br />
<br />
In Miami Beach, the state believes Zika transmission is confined to a 1.5-square-mile area located between&nbsp;8th and 28th streets in the popular South Beach neighborhood.<br />
<br />
Miami Beach resident Steve Ehrlich, 30, said news of the five cases transmitted somewhere in the blocks&nbsp;around his home was not surprising, but that did not make it any less concerning.<br />
<br />
&quot;You knew it was going to intermingle all over the place,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
And though Ehrlich said and he and his wife Caroline did not have any immediate plans to have more&nbsp;children, any thought of doing so has been indefinitely shelved.<br />
<br />
Current CDC guidelines recommend men wait six months after being infected with Zika before trying to have&nbsp;children to avoid passing the virus to a pregnant partner through semen. The recommendations are based on&nbsp;observations that the virus can live in semen as long as 93 days after an infection, but a recent report&nbsp;in the journal Eurosurveillence described two cases in which the virus lingered in semen six months after&nbsp;a person was infected.<br />
<br />
&quot;The CDC is giving recommendations for how long to wait before you get pregnant, but it seems like no one&nbsp;has a clear grasp on just how long it stays in your system,&quot; Ehrlich said. &quot;That&#39;s scary for us because we&nbsp;eventually want to have more kids.&quot;<br />
<br />
Travel expert Henry Harteveldt, founder of travel consultancy Atmosphere Research Group, said the Zika&nbsp;outbreak in South Florida could jeopardize travel in the area.<br />
<br />
&quot;Even if one per cent or two per cent of potential travelers decide not to go to Florida, whether it&rsquo;s for&nbsp;leisure or for business, there could be a multi-million dollar hit to the local economy,&rdquo; he said.<br />
<br />
In a conference call with reporters on Friday, CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said there have been at least&nbsp;four other independent instances of mosquito-borne Zika transmission in Miami-Dade county. These were&nbsp;individual cases and did not represent local transmission.<br />
<br />
Frieden said it is difficult to determine if cases are locally acquired and whether cases are related. As&nbsp;a result, there may be a time lag in reporting the spread of disease locally.<br />
<br />
Given that, Frieden said there could be transmissions that have not been identified throughout Miami,&nbsp;which is why the CDC has advised pregnant women and their sexual partners who are worried about potential&nbsp;exposure to consider avoiding travel to Miami entirely.<br />
<br />
Of the five new cases in Miami Beach, one person is a resident of New York, one person is a resident of&nbsp;Texas and one person is a resident of Taiwan.<br />
<br />
&quot;All three of these people traveled to Miami,&quot; Scott said.<br />
<br />
Frieden said battling Zika-carrying mosquitoes in this neighborhood will be especially challenging because&nbsp;the area&#39;s high rise buildings will prevent pilots from flying low enough to drop pesticides in aerial&nbsp;spraying campaigns.<br />
<br />
&quot;The inability to use aerial spraying there means we&#39;ll be limited to using ground-based techniques like&nbsp;backpack spraying,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
Frieden said aerial spraying continues to be successful in the Wynwood neighborhood, where experts have&nbsp;seen &quot;substantial but not complete knockdowns of mosquito populations.<br />
<br />
Scott said Florida has requested more support from the CDC.<br />
<br />
LAWMAKERS URGE MORE FUNDING<br />
<br />
Reporters pressed Scott on the timeliness of the announcement, which was first reported in the Miami&nbsp;Herald on Thursday and was confirmed by many other news outlets on Thursday, including Reuters.<br />
<br />
&quot;We recognize the desire for information quickly, but it is important that we conduct our interviews and investigations pursuant to epidemiological standards,&quot; Scott said.<br />
<br />
Reporters charged Scott with underplaying Zika transmission and delaying confirmation to minimize the&nbsp;effect on tourism in the state.<br />
<br />
Scott said the state was taking every measure to ensure the information they provided to the public was&nbsp;accurate.<br />
<br />
In a press conference later on Friday, however, Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine expressed frustration with&nbsp;Scott and the state&#39;s health department for keeping him and other elected officials in the dark about the&nbsp;island-city&#39;s five locally transmitted Zika cases.<br />
<br />
Levine said mayors across Miami received the information at the same time as media.<br />
<br />
&quot;It&#39;s backwards,&quot; Levine said.<br />
<br />
US Senator Harry Reid, a Democrat, said the transmission of Zika in Miami Beach &quot;is the most alarming&nbsp;development yet in the rapidly growing threat of Zika in the United States.&quot;<br />
<br />
Both Reid and Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican, renewed calls for lawmakers in the House and&nbsp;Senate to return to Washington to authorize funding to help public health officials fight the spread of&nbsp;Zika.<br />
<br />
President Barack Obama in February requested $1.9 billion to fight Zika but Congressional efforts to&nbsp;approve part of the funding deadlocked before lawmakers adjourned for the summer.<br />
<br />
Earlier on Friday, US health officials published a study estimating that as many as 270 babies in Puerto&nbsp;Rico may be born with the severe birth defect known as microcephaly caused by Zika infections in their&nbsp;mothers during pregnancy.<br />
<br />
A public health emergency was declared in the US territory on August 12 after more than 10,000&nbsp;laboratory-confirmed cases were recorded, including more than a thousand pregnant women.<br />
<br />
The condition, in which infants are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains, is&nbsp;estimated to cost $10 million over the lifetime of one child.<br />
<br />
The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last fall in Brazil, which has now&nbsp;confirmed more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infection in the&nbsp;mothers.<br />
<br />
(Reuters)

The new transmissions come as Miami-Dade continues to battle Zika in the Wynwood arts neighborhood of?Miami

Federal health officials on Friday warned pregnant women not to travel to trendy Miami Beach after Florida confirmed that the mosquito-borne Zika virus was active in the popular tourist destination. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also suggested that pregnant women who are especially worried about exposure to Zika - which has been shown to cause the severe birth defect known as microcephaly - might consider avoiding all of Miami-Dade County. The new warnings represent a challenge to Florida's multibillion dollar tourism industry, with Miami Beach accounting for nearly half of visitor stays in the city, and heighten concerns over Zika's spread in the continental United States. In a press conference, Florida Governor Rick Scott said state health officials had identified five cases of Zika believed to be contracted in Miami Beach. "This means we believe we have a new area where local transmissions are occurring in Miami Beach," he said, noting that the state had already stepped up pesticide spraying efforts in this area. The new transmissions come as Miami-Dade continues to battle Zika in the Wynwood arts neighborhood of Miami, the site of the first locally transmitted cases of Zika in the continental United States. In Miami Beach, the state believes Zika transmission is confined to a 1.5-square-mile area located between 8th and 28th streets in the popular South Beach neighborhood. Miami Beach resident Steve Ehrlich, 30, said news of the five cases transmitted somewhere in the blocks around his home was not surprising, but that did not make it any less concerning. "You knew it was going to intermingle all over the place," he said. And though Ehrlich said and he and his wife Caroline did not have any immediate plans to have more children, any thought of doing so has been indefinitely shelved. Current CDC guidelines recommend men wait six months after being infected with Zika before trying to have children to avoid passing the virus to a pregnant partner through semen. The recommendations are based on observations that the virus can live in semen as long as 93 days after an infection, but a recent report in the journal Eurosurveillence described two cases in which the virus lingered in semen six months after a person was infected. "The CDC is giving recommendations for how long to wait before you get pregnant, but it seems like no one has a clear grasp on just how long it stays in your system," Ehrlich said. "That's scary for us because we eventually want to have more kids." Travel expert Henry Harteveldt, founder of travel consultancy Atmosphere Research Group, said the Zika outbreak in South Florida could jeopardize travel in the area. "Even if one per cent or two per cent of potential travelers decide not to go to Florida, whether it’s for leisure or for business, there could be a multi-million dollar hit to the local economy,” he said. In a conference call with reporters on Friday, CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said there have been at least four other independent instances of mosquito-borne Zika transmission in Miami-Dade county. These were individual cases and did not represent local transmission. Frieden said it is difficult to determine if cases are locally acquired and whether cases are related. As a result, there may be a time lag in reporting the spread of disease locally. Given that, Frieden said there could be transmissions that have not been identified throughout Miami, which is why the CDC has advised pregnant women and their sexual partners who are worried about potential exposure to consider avoiding travel to Miami entirely. Of the five new cases in Miami Beach, one person is a resident of New York, one person is a resident of Texas and one person is a resident of Taiwan. "All three of these people traveled to Miami," Scott said. Frieden said battling Zika-carrying mosquitoes in this neighborhood will be especially challenging because the area's high rise buildings will prevent pilots from flying low enough to drop pesticides in aerial spraying campaigns. "The inability to use aerial spraying there means we'll be limited to using ground-based techniques like backpack spraying," he said. Frieden said aerial spraying continues to be successful in the Wynwood neighborhood, where experts have seen "substantial but not complete knockdowns of mosquito populations. Scott said Florida has requested more support from the CDC. LAWMAKERS URGE MORE FUNDING Reporters pressed Scott on the timeliness of the announcement, which was first reported in the Miami Herald on Thursday and was confirmed by many other news outlets on Thursday, including Reuters. "We recognize the desire for information quickly, but it is important that we conduct our interviews and investigations pursuant to epidemiological standards," Scott said. Reporters charged Scott with underplaying Zika transmission and delaying confirmation to minimize the effect on tourism in the state. Scott said the state was taking every measure to ensure the information they provided to the public was accurate. In a press conference later on Friday, however, Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine expressed frustration with Scott and the state's health department for keeping him and other elected officials in the dark about the island-city's five locally transmitted Zika cases. Levine said mayors across Miami received the information at the same time as media. "It's backwards," Levine said. US Senator Harry Reid, a Democrat, said the transmission of Zika in Miami Beach "is the most alarming development yet in the rapidly growing threat of Zika in the United States." Both Reid and Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican, renewed calls for lawmakers in the House and Senate to return to Washington to authorize funding to help public health officials fight the spread of Zika. President Barack Obama in February requested $1.9 billion to fight Zika but Congressional efforts to approve part of the funding deadlocked before lawmakers adjourned for the summer. Earlier on Friday, US health officials published a study estimating that as many as 270 babies in Puerto Rico may be born with the severe birth defect known as microcephaly caused by Zika infections in their mothers during pregnancy. A public health emergency was declared in the US territory on August 12 after more than 10,000 laboratory-confirmed cases were recorded, including more than a thousand pregnant women. The condition, in which infants are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains, is estimated to cost $10 million over the lifetime of one child. The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last fall in Brazil, which has now confirmed more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infection in the mothers. (Reuters)

US expands travel warning as Zika spreads to Miami Beach

Upwardly-mobile, tech-savvy young professionals from across the globe are swapping their briefcases and brogues for backpacks and sneakers, setting themselves up as digital nomads who can operate from wherever their laptops can go.<br />
<br />
Jobbatical and Teleport, two recent tech start-ups, promise to take the guesswork out of digital job hunting on a global scale.<br />
<br />
Both hail from tiny tech titan Estonia and are part of a crop of cutting-edge online sites catering to digital nomads, typically young males who work remotely and move around regions like Southeast Asia every few months.<br />
<br />
Their creators insist the start-ups have the potential to shake things up on the global job market, similar to how Estonians previously transformed global communications with Skype and digital international money transfers via Transferwise.<br />
<br />
Tallinn-based entrepreneur Karoli Hindriks said she launched Jobbatical two years ago to fill the growing gaps she noticed in global recruiting.<br />
<br />
With employment offers from Greece, to Thailand and Costa Rica among others, it takes just a few clicks of the mouse for product or account managers, programmers and other tech professionals to land a dream job, whether programming in Malaysia&#39;s tropical paradise of Penang or managing an adventure travel operation in Bali.<br />
<br />
Jobbatical targets &quot;adventurous tech, business, and creative professionals with over five years of working experience,&quot; Hindriks said at the Latitude59 technology conference in Estonia&#39;s capital Tallinn.<br />
<br />
She points to &quot;a generational mindset shift&quot; as key to her client base of 70,000 unique users each month across 150 countries.<br />
<br />
&quot;The millennial&#39;s view of success isn&#39;t necessarily a house, a well-paying job and a picket fence,&quot; she said.<br />
<br />
&quot;There&#39;s a huge shift towards defining success as working in terms of things that one truly believes in, and appreciating experiences over material possessions.&quot;<br />
<br />
New technologies, less expensive international travel and easier communications mean that moving around to work is &quot;becoming smoother and cheaper than ever&quot;, she added.<br />
<br />
Most Jobbatical offers involve positions that, like sabbaticals, last around 12 months, creating a revolving client base.<br />
<br />
The company takes a &quot;success&quot; fee of five per cent of the annual salary upon hiring.<br />
<br />
<strong>Surf more than just the internet</strong><br />
<br />
Vicente Gracia, a much-travelled 28-year-old business strategist from Chile, has been surfing more than just the internet since he began using Jobbatical.<br />
<br />
Dissatisfied with the terms he was being offered by South American companies, Gracia used it to find a job based in Bali.<br />
<br />
&quot;New generations are looking for more than just a paycheck,&quot; Gracia said via Skype.<br />
<br />
A keen surfer, he now enjoys riding the waves on a Bali beach every morning during a break in his commute to work.<br />
<br />
&quot;For me, being able to prioritise my career and a healthy lifestyle is crucial.&quot;<br />
<br />
Insisting that Jobbatical is unique, Hindriks shuns comparisons to online job sites like Monster, insisting that &quot;it&#39;s like comparing Craigslist to Airbnb&quot;.<br />
<br />
Describing Jobbatical as a &quot;matchmaker for companies&quot;, Hindriks insists that short-term &quot;jobbaticals&quot; encourage professionals to choose countries off the beaten path - like her own Estonia - that they may not have considered were the positions permanent.<br />
<br />
&quot;If you look at the reality, there are no permanent jobs any more, so in that sense we&#39;re bringing honesty to the conversation,&quot; she said.<br />
<br />
<strong>Peace of mind</strong><br />
<br />
Teleport meanwhile takes stock of the personal preferences and expectations of digital job-seekers and then suggests ideal places for them to live and work.<br />
<br />
Teleport &quot;scouts&quot;, or local experts, are just a click away to iron out any wrinkles. For a modest fee, they can help with everything from visas to finding the right apartment or the nearest vegan restaurant.<br />
<br />
A veteran tech entrepreneur who headed up Skype&#39;s Estonia operations from 2005-12, Teleport CEO Sten Tamkivi insisted his startup goes further than competitors like NomadList, which essentially works like a traditional travel guide.<br />
<br />
Tamkivi said that aside from calculating ideal locations based on personal preferences and its &quot;scouts&quot;, its &quot;flock&quot; service also locates the nearest co-working spaces.<br />
<br />
Anthony Lapenna, a Frenchman working in New Zealand, is one happy Teleport user.<br />
<br />
The service meant he could keep his job, but change hemispheres, shifting from Paris to Auckland, New Zealand, where he continues his role as a software engineer.<br />
<br />
&quot;I wanted to go to an English-speaking country in order to improve my English, plus I was kind of sick of the big city of Paris,&quot; he said via email.<br />
<br />
&quot;New Zealand is located at the world&#39;s end, which is pretty exciting. I also had a curiosity about the landscape, because I&#39;m fond of hiking.&quot;<br />
<br />
&quot;I&#39;ll probably move again, but not before I&#39;ve explored as much of New Zealand as I can.&quot;<br />
<br />
And Lapenna is not alone. As Google predicts the world&#39;s online population will double to five billion by 2020, digital nomads are likely to be a growing tribe.<br />
<br />
(AFP)

Tech start-ups from Estonia are catering to a growing number of young, laptop-carrying professionals who travel and work remotely

Upwardly-mobile, tech-savvy young professionals from across the globe are swapping their briefcases and brogues for backpacks and sneakers, setting themselves up as digital nomads who can operate from wherever their laptops can go. Jobbatical and Teleport, two recent tech start-ups, promise to take the guesswork out of digital job hunting on a global scale. Both hail from tiny tech titan Estonia and are part of a crop of cutting-edge online sites catering to digital nomads, typically young males who work remotely and move around regions like Southeast Asia every few months. Their creators insist the start-ups have the potential to shake things up on the global job market, similar to how Estonians previously transformed global communications with Skype and digital international money transfers via Transferwise. Tallinn-based entrepreneur Karoli Hindriks said she launched Jobbatical two years ago to fill the growing gaps she noticed in global recruiting. With employment offers from Greece, to Thailand and Costa Rica among others, it takes just a few clicks of the mouse for product or account managers, programmers and other tech professionals to land a dream job, whether programming in Malaysia's tropical paradise of Penang or managing an adventure travel operation in Bali. Jobbatical targets "adventurous tech, business, and creative professionals with over five years of working experience," Hindriks said at the Latitude59 technology conference in Estonia's capital Tallinn. She points to "a generational mindset shift" as key to her client base of 70,000 unique users each month across 150 countries. "The millennial's view of success isn't necessarily a house, a well-paying job and a picket fence," she said. "There's a huge shift towards defining success as working in terms of things that one truly believes in, and appreciating experiences over material possessions." New technologies, less expensive international travel and easier communications mean that moving around to work is "becoming smoother and cheaper than ever", she added. Most Jobbatical offers involve positions that, like sabbaticals, last around 12 months, creating a revolving client base. The company takes a "success" fee of five per cent of the annual salary upon hiring. Surf more than just the internet Vicente Gracia, a much-travelled 28-year-old business strategist from Chile, has been surfing more than just the internet since he began using Jobbatical. Dissatisfied with the terms he was being offered by South American companies, Gracia used it to find a job based in Bali. "New generations are looking for more than just a paycheck," Gracia said via Skype. A keen surfer, he now enjoys riding the waves on a Bali beach every morning during a break in his commute to work. "For me, being able to prioritise my career and a healthy lifestyle is crucial." Insisting that Jobbatical is unique, Hindriks shuns comparisons to online job sites like Monster, insisting that "it's like comparing Craigslist to Airbnb". Describing Jobbatical as a "matchmaker for companies", Hindriks insists that short-term "jobbaticals" encourage professionals to choose countries off the beaten path - like her own Estonia - that they may not have considered were the positions permanent. "If you look at the reality, there are no permanent jobs any more, so in that sense we're bringing honesty to the conversation," she said. Peace of mind Teleport meanwhile takes stock of the personal preferences and expectations of digital job-seekers and then suggests ideal places for them to live and work. Teleport "scouts", or local experts, are just a click away to iron out any wrinkles. For a modest fee, they can help with everything from visas to finding the right apartment or the nearest vegan restaurant. A veteran tech entrepreneur who headed up Skype's Estonia operations from 2005-12, Teleport CEO Sten Tamkivi insisted his startup goes further than competitors like NomadList, which essentially works like a traditional travel guide. Tamkivi said that aside from calculating ideal locations based on personal preferences and its "scouts", its "flock" service also locates the nearest co-working spaces. Anthony Lapenna, a Frenchman working in New Zealand, is one happy Teleport user. The service meant he could keep his job, but change hemispheres, shifting from Paris to Auckland, New Zealand, where he continues his role as a software engineer. "I wanted to go to an English-speaking country in order to improve my English, plus I was kind of sick of the big city of Paris," he said via email. "New Zealand is located at the world's end, which is pretty exciting. I also had a curiosity about the landscape, because I'm fond of hiking." "I'll probably move again, but not before I've explored as much of New Zealand as I can." And Lapenna is not alone. As Google predicts the world's online population will double to five billion by 2020, digital nomads are likely to be a growing tribe. (AFP)

Backpacking digital nomads land dream jobs on the go

<p>At least 17 million women and girls in Africa collect water every day, which increases their risk of sexual abuse, disease and dropping out of school, a study published recently has found.</p>

<p>It is one of the first studies to calculate how many women and children were responsible for water collection in Africa, the researchers said.</p>

<p>Using datasets from the World Bank, the UN&nbsp;children&#39;s agency UNICEF, and the US&nbsp;Agency for International Development, researchers found that around 3 million children and 14 million women collect water in sub-Saharan Africa.</p>

<p>&quot;The absolute number of adult females affected by this practice was a shock to me,&quot; Jay Graham, lead author of the study, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.</p>

<p>&quot;I knew it would be large... but I didn&#39;t realise it would be that high,&quot; added Graham, who is professor at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University.</p>

<p>The daily practice causes musculoskeletal damage, soft tissue damage and can lead to early arthritis, Graham said.</p>

<p>People also have to contend with water-borne diseases like schistosomiasis, an infection caused by parasitic worms living in fresh water, he said.</p>

<p>Across all 24 countries examined, including Sierra Leone, Malawi and Niger, more girls were tasked with water collection than boys. Women were also the primary water collector in all countries.</p>

<p>Children are pulled out of school for the daily task, and many women cannot earn an income because of the time and energy it takes to collect water, Graham said.</p>

<p>Since they often need to walk long distances to find water, women and children are also at a higher risk of sexual abuse, he added.</p>

<p>In a statement issued last month, the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone said drought was putting even more pressure on children to find water.</p>

<p>&quot;Children, particularly girls, are out in the street very late at night or as early as 4a.m. in search of water,&quot; the statement read.</p>

<p>&quot;This heightens their vulnerability and contributes to increase in teenage pregnancy, child labour, high rates of school drop outs, and poor school performance,&quot; it said.</p>

<p>Demand for water is expected to increase by 2050 as the world&#39;s population is forecast to grow by one-third to more than 9 billion, according to the United Nations.</p>

<p>As climate change strengthens, drought is becoming more frequent and severe in southern Africa, and that &ndash; combined with this year&#39;s El Nino phenomenon &ndash; is taking a heavy toll on rural lives and economies.</p>

<p>&quot;With climate change, it&#39;s going to be more of an uphill battle,&quot; said Graham. &quot;If there&#39;s focused attention on it and resources, we can improve upon the situation but I do think it&#39;s going to become more difficult.&quot;</p>

<p>But it also crucial to address gender inequality and to recognise the unpaid labour that women do across the globe, he said, which he believes is the underlying issue.</p>

<p>&quot;There is a need to address cultural values and really shifting the belief that women and men are equal too.&quot;</p>


Many have to travel real far to collect water, thus exposing them to the risk of being sexually abused. And there is the added threat of a water-borne disease and other ailments.

At least 17 million women and girls in Africa collect water every day, which increases their risk of sexual abuse, disease and dropping out of school, a study published recently has found. It is one of the first studies to calculate how many women and children were responsible for water collection in Africa, the researchers said. Using datasets from the World Bank, the UN children's agency UNICEF, and the US Agency for International Development, researchers found that around 3 million children and 14 million women collect water in sub-Saharan Africa. "The absolute number of adult females affected by this practice was a shock to me," Jay Graham, lead author of the study, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "I knew it would be large... but I didn't realise it would be that high," added Graham, who is professor at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University. The daily practice causes musculoskeletal damage, soft tissue damage and can lead to early arthritis, Graham said. People also have to contend with water-borne diseases like schistosomiasis, an infection caused by parasitic worms living in fresh water, he said. Across all 24 countries examined, including Sierra Leone, Malawi and Niger, more girls were tasked with water collection than boys. Women were also the primary water collector in all countries. Children are pulled out of school for the daily task, and many women cannot earn an income because of the time and energy it takes to collect water, Graham said. Since they often need to walk long distances to find water, women and children are also at a higher risk of sexual abuse, he added. In a statement issued last month, the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone said drought was putting even more pressure on children to find water. "Children, particularly girls, are out in the street very late at night or as early as 4a.m. in search of water," the statement read. "This heightens their vulnerability and contributes to increase in teenage pregnancy, child labour, high rates of school drop outs, and poor school performance," it said. Demand for water is expected to increase by 2050 as the world's population is forecast to grow by one-third to more than 9 billion, according to the United Nations. As climate change strengthens, drought is becoming more frequent and severe in southern Africa, and that – combined with this year's El Nino phenomenon – is taking a heavy toll on rural lives and economies. "With climate change, it's going to be more of an uphill battle," said Graham. "If there's focused attention on it and resources, we can improve upon the situation but I do think it's going to become more difficult." But it also crucial to address gender inequality and to recognise the unpaid labour that women do across the globe, he said, which he believes is the underlying issue. "There is a need to address cultural values and really shifting the belief that women and men are equal too."

The risks more than 17 million African women and girls have to take to fetch water

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